Downtown Morganton gets a new look

Out with the old and in with the new. With the release of a new logo and a tagline, Main Street is pivoting from “Simply Charming” to “A place to write home about.”

The new logo is inspired by the warmth and memories of a postcard and “embodies the spirit of our community — a truly charming town that, as many often say, feels straight out of a Hallmark movie, leaving a lasting impression,” Main Street Manager Makenzie McGinnis said. The stamp-style logo features Table Rock with bright sunshine beams in the background.

When McGinnis was hired in January 2024, she was tasked with developing a marketing plan to promote downtown, communicate Main Street’s purpose and mission, and create a recognizable visual identity.

“Simply charming, it’s good, but I don’t think it’s something that people would know off the streets,” McGinnis said.

The Morganton Main Street Department has worked to maintain a vibrant and energized downtown for more than three decades. The program has generated more than $60 million of public and private investment in downtown since its creation, according to its website.

The updated branding is just one more step, McGinnis said.

Wanting to create something memorable for visitors and residents alike, McGinnis said that she got the idea for the new logo from their Christmas postcard-themed billboard.

“People do, in passing, call Morganton a charming town and so I thought a place to write home about still captures the essence of being charming, but I think it’s a little deeper than that,” McGinnis said, “and we want to be a destination for people to come and experience Western North Carolina and that small-town charm.”

During Small Business Saturday (Saturday after Thanksgiving), McGinnis said visitors approached her to compliment the city and that day’s Who’s Got the Winning Ticket event. ‘This is such a Hallmark town’ or ‘has a movie been filmed here’ are just some of the examples she heard.

From start to finish, McGinnis said the rebranding took about two months. VanNoppen Marketing created the logo with an interchangeable element. In addition to Table Rock, the logo can feature the water tower by city hall or follow seasonal themes to support events like the Halloween Spooktacular.

“It can be changed for the seasons, for Christmas, for events, so that’s another thing we’re really excited about is that it can morph with everything that we do,” McGinnis said.

McGinnis said she is also interested in making bumper stickers with a secondary logo and merchandise, similar to the “Discover Burke” stickers. New pole banners emblazoned with the new logo may also be installed in the future to underscore downtown’s sense of place.