SMITHFIELD - It has some empty storefronts and trouble luring retail, but downtown Smithfield is largely thriving, with an occupancy rate of 93 percent.

Other parts of town, especially West Smithfield, are home to many more empty lots and storefronts. Then again, they don't have the backing of a group like the Downtown Smithfield Development Corp.

Chris Johnson is head of the group, and his job is to promote downtown to potential businesses and visitors. He operates on a budget of about $250,000 a year, much of which comes from town coffers and an additional tax on downtown properties.

It's important for Smithfield to continue to invest in downtown, Johnson said, because other business districts in town look just like the commercial strips elsewhere in the country: Someone dropped there would have no idea what town they were in.

"If you get dropped in downtown, you see the true soul of the community," Johnson said. "You want to show off your community, so you take them downtown."

Stacy Borelli opted to open her new business, Swank Photo Studio, on South Third Street because of the charm of its old buildings and because bridal shops were nearby.

"I chose downtown because I felt like it was a little slice of urbania in the middle of sprawl," Borelli said, noting that the area is an ideal setting for photo shoots. "There's still a country appeal, but there's a city feel as well."

She's pleased with how her business is doing so far and has had a number of new customers walk in off the street.

One challenge downtown faces is its status as the seat of Johnston County government. The courthouse and other government buildings bring people downtown, but they occupy land and buildings that could have been retail instead.

As churches and government expand downtown, more property comes off the tax rolls. Johnson pointed to the recent sale of The Herald's old building on South Fourth Street to First Baptist Church as an example. Also, Centenary United Methodist Church has purchased the old auto-parts store at Front and Market streets.

But overall, Johnson said, having so many churches and government offices is a positive thing for downtown. "I'd much rather be in the position we're in than having them three miles out of town," he said.

But others are concerned that downtown doesn't have enough stores to make it a viable shopping destination.

Real-estate agent Rebecca Mast Riley is having trouble filling the first-floor storefronts in Neuse River Commons at Market and Front streets. (Plenty of medical offices, she said, have moved in upstairs since the office and retail building opened several years ago.)

"Retail seems to struggle downtown, period," Riley said. "I think people may tend to go toward [Carolina Premium Outlets] or larger shopping areas where they can do more in one place."

A few blocks away, on South Fourth Street, the old Gabriel Johnston Hotel -- which was Smithfield's town hall for years -- remains empty and in disrepair.

But Johnson remains optimistic that the building will eventually be restored, perhaps to its original use as a hotel.

"That building is an asset," Johnson said. "There's tax credits on it, there's local incentives. It's just a matter of the right person coming along."

One downtown project is going ahead despite the recession. At North Seventh and Market streets, Stancil Oil Co. is building a convenience store with gas pumps and a restaurant.

"It's a tremendous investment," Johnson said.

Focus on entrances

With downtown in relatively good shape, Smithfield's leaders are turning their attention to the town's entryways -- areas like West Smithfield and East Market Street between Interstate 95 and Bright Leaf Boulevard.

"We want to do what we can to help the town improve their entranceways," said Rick Childrey, president of the Greater Smithfield-Selma Area Chamber of Commerce. "It is part of a bigger issue for us in community image. People judge your community initially on how it looks."

Daniel Evans, who is running unopposed for mayor, said that's one of the main things he wants to work on.

In West Smithfield, appearance has improved with the addition of landscaping in the median of West Market Street, also known as U.S. 70 Business. But retail, once plentiful, remains weak.

Years ago, for example, Rose Manor Shopping Center was home to Sears, Winn-Dixie, Eckerd Drugs and a department store. But the shopping center has been largely empty since the town's commercial center shifted to North Bright Leaf Boulevard.

Childrey, the chamber leader, noted that the extension of Booker Dairy Road would connect West Smithfield and North Smithfield and could make Rose Manor and other properties more attractive. "There is potential for that shopping center," he said.

What's unclear is the impact that replacing the Neuse River bridge will have on West Smithfield and downtown. The state might rip out the bridge all at once to replace it. That would take about 18 months. Or the state might leave a couple of lanes open, but that would stretch the replacement project to three years.

Johnson said the bridge project had made some developers hesitant about downtown. "It's just the uncertainty of the bridge project," he said. "It's going to have a tremendous impact on downtown."