Charley takes a look at all of the empty buildings along Bridge Street in my hometown.
I have lived in Bedford all of my life, and I've seen dozens of small businesses come and go. Mostly mom and pop antique stores. There have been several attempts to try to get small businesses to fill the buildings in an effort to get residents to "shop local" instead of having to drive off to either Lynchburg or Roanoke. There have only been two businesses which seem to have made the biggest impact, the sandwich shop in our old Dominion Bank building, and the Domino's Pizza which is next door. And of course there's always Arthur's Jewelry, which is a downtown staple. There have been two or three restaurants where the new Cafe sits, and that does some business as well. But we just need something new and exciting to fill the abandoned buildings.