CAPE CHARLES, Va. (Delmarva Now) — Cape Charles has a new logo and brand, thanks to hours of work by the Cape Charles Main Street Board and input from more than 200 community members.
The brand was unveiled at a ceremony Friday evening at the Strawberry Street Plaza.
"Cape Charles — Virginia's Cape" read the large, slate blue-and-white banner unfurled to a round of applause, after speeches by Mayor Smitty Dize and Tammy Holloway, a town council member and inn owner, who has taken a leading role in the town's Main Street project.
"Over the past six months, Cape Charles Main Street organization led a charge to develop a brand identity for Cape Charles. They put a lot of work in this — a lot of time, a lot of hours. And, you know, there have been a lot of citizens' participation in this — it's a really good thing," said Mayor Dize.
Dize announced that Cape Charles' local food offerings will be featured in a chapter of the Finding Main Street Book Club toolkit that goes along with Dar Williams' book "What I Found in a Thousand Towns."
"It's very important to us. It's a big step for Cape Charles," Dize said.
An example of advertising using the brand and logo, on display at the ceremony, depicts a couple riding into the sunset on a golf cart with an American flag waving from its rear. Golf carts are a favorite mode of transportation in the town.
The advertisement proclaims Cape Charles, "A charming, bayside gem, nestled on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Virginia."
Holloway said before the branding project, "Cape Charles certainly had an identity — we call it 'a thing.'"
Still, that thing was difficult to explain to others, she said.
"That special thing we have is also hard to put into words," Holloway said, giving examples of special town experiences including a stroll on the beach, a golf cart ride, attending a theater performance, docking your boat at the harbor or marina, sitting on a porch, "celebrating yet another beautiful sunset" and more.
"How do you identify a word, phrase or image that captures that feeling? Not an easy task, but one it was time to tackle," she said.
PHOTOS: Cape Charles unveils new brand, logo
The Cape Charles Main Street board received a grant from Virginia Main Street to develop the brand and logo, Holloway said.
The process involved selecting a design and marketing firm; hosting several branding think tanks; doing resident surveys; interviewing stakeholders; and forming an advisory team that included representatives from businesses and marketing experts.
The resulting brand "architecture" will be the guiding principle for promoting the town — including enticing visitors, attracting people to do business in Cape Charles, and represents the people who live there, according to Holloway.
After some rough years, economically speaking, Cape Charles is experiencing a resurgence.
Gov. Ralph Northam cut ribbons for more than a dozen new Cape Charles businesses in roughly the same area during a whirlwind tour in July that was highlighted by a parade of more than 30 golf carts driven by residents of the waterfront town.
The ribbon-cutting marathon at recently opened businesses included Cape Charles Cabs, Carts and Carriages; the Northampton Hotel; Buskey Cider on the Bay; Mason Ave. Furniture Exchange; Table and Tonic; Cape Charles Distillery; Cape Charles Candy Company; Voiajer; Zest; Tim's Place and Peach Street Convenience Store; Peach Beach Shave Ice Shack' Hope's Harbor Hair; and Cape Charles Brewing Company.
The recent surge of new businesses is the result in part of the efforts of Cape Charles Main Street.
The town launched its Main Street Program about two years ago and has since welcomed numerous new businesses to its historic downtown district.
This summer, it was announced Cape Charles was the first town to receive a Virginia Downtown designation in a pilot program launching through Virginia Main Street, a program of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
Commonwealth Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball visited the town June 27 to announce Northam’s selection of Cape Charles as the site for the new program.
