Marlinton Mayor optimistic about new business for land vacant from fire

Marlinton Mayor Joe Smith said he is confident that a new food service business will be locating to a downtown plot of land that has been vacant since the fire last November.

At the Christmas parade on Friday evening, Smith said he is happy to see the town come together to celebrate the season and that he hopes to be able to share an official announcement soon.

“Just within the last couple of months, there became a really good prospect for a business to build on the vacant lot. It’s not definite yet, and I’m not at liberty to disclose who it may be. The owner of the property wants to make that announcement, if it happens. But it’s real promising,” Smith said.

“A new building on the corner. There’s three different ownerships involved in that whole block. The man that owned the corner, the old bank building as we called it, he has a real good prospect, and the people from the corporate office has been in to look at the area and was pleased. It’s real promising,” Smith said.

Janice Miller, a life-long resident of Marlinton, watched the parade on Friday evening as she does each year.

“Because I’ve always lived here, so I can remember the massive fire on that corner and then this and it’s a total devastation to the community,” Miller said.

She would like to see a new business open downtown.

“Just some type of a business. I mean, I realize it would have to be a mom and pop type of business or something like Lewisburg where they have little antique shops. Just anything that would draw people,” Miller said.

Despite the vacant lots on Main Street, the town still has lots to offer for Christmas shopping.

“Just wish everybody a Merry Christmas and hope they come to town and shop and visit us and see our nice decorations that we have this year.”

The town crew worked very hard to get them done this year between the rains and whatnot.”

He said this time next year, hopefully the downtown will have a few new occupants.

“If we can get something built on that vacant lot of any portion of that vacant lot, it would really be nice, it really would. I myself think there might be a balloon effect. If we can see one thing done, I think something else might move on down. So here today I would like to be able to say this time next year, we’re going to see that lot filled back up with businesses. I can’t say that, but it would be awful good to say that.”