What makes a city a boutique market? Well, according to the Urban Land Institute, boutique markets are smaller cities that have lower costs of living and local economies that were able to, better than others, withstand the effects of the pandemic. These cities include Chattanooga and Knoxville in Tennessee; Richmond, VA; Boise, ID; Omaha, NE; Des Moines, IA; Portland, ME; and Greenville.

This article from CoStar (no, not the astrology app) highlights Greenville as a boutique market, and tells the story of our city from its days as the Textile Capital of the World to the vibrant downtown we see today. While many of us already know that story by heart, apparently our own downtown revival story was “a very direct inspiration” for how Knoxville modeled the redevelopment of their own downtown. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.

The article points out that with all of Greenville’s success, we are now facing an affordable housing problem. Enter: Unity Park. The piece runs through all of the progress the city has made so far on Unity park, and how the park will help address our affordable housing issue and seek to rectify a “…century-old wrong in a historically segregated part of the city.”

Well, GVL, if we get featured in any more national articles, we’ll need to start a book. 📚

Read the full article.