WELLSBURG, W.Va. — In many rural West Virginia communities, economic revitalization is happening one vacant building at a time, as public agencies and nonprofit groups work together to turn long‑abandoned structures into viable business space.
In Wellsburg, the volunteer‑run Urban Renewal Authority has taken on some of the town’s most deteriorated buildings, purchasing them for as little as $100 and rebuilding them with support from the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center and Opportunity Appalachia. The goal: create affordable storefronts and apartments that can bring people back into the downtown core.
For small business owners like Cindi Alkire, who runs The Kookie Jar, the effort has made all the difference.
“We wouldn’t have been able to afford a normal building, like normal rent that most people are asking because commercial space is expensive,” Alkire said. “That’s how they helped us get our start.”
Before opening her shop, Alkire baked at home and sold her cookies at farmers markets and fairs. The renovated building offered a below‑market lease that allowed her to move into a permanent location.
A similar strategy is playing out on a larger scale in Huntington, where nonprofit developer Cornerstone Community Development and a coalition of public, private and philanthropic partners have transformed the century‑old Prichard Hotel into affordable senior housing. The $50 million redevelopment used tax credits, federal housing programs, and state and city support to create 108 apartments for older residents.
Alkire said the Wellsburg projects show how reinvestment can ripple through an entire community.
“They not only bought the building that we’re in, they also bought two more, and they are working on rehabbing them,” she said. “That will be another business that will be able to grow and thrive in the community.”
Supporters say the Wellsburg and Huntington projects offer a model for rural and small‑city Appalachia, where private developers often see too much risk. By stepping in early, public and nonprofit partners can create the kind of storefronts, housing and community services that keep opportunity close to home.
