We visited Spartanburg on a cold, grey and dismal Sunday afternoon in December.  It was clear that an effort was being made to revitalize the downtown area with new housing built above retail, some fairly upscale stores in the mix and an interesting independent bookstore on one corner. Christmas lights and decorations were up, and a skating rink had been installed in a small park situated between streets with restaurants located along the sides that were open for business.  A handful of parents and children skated the rink and the restaurants seemed to be doing a good, if not particularly brisk, business.  

It was a Sunday and not long before Christmas, so we were surprised to find that not many shops were actually open; the downtown area felt a little sad and abandoned, in fact.  Where were the shoppers on this December Sunday?

We stayed a couple of hours, wandering the main street and driving around the surrounding area to get a better sense for the city.

We concluded that they were certainly giving it a good try, but that, at least for the time being, Spartanburg was a “Greenville wannabe” and disappointing. And it looks like we only took a few photos while we were there!