Profile: Downtown Merchant

Wireless zone owner Jason Tice is getting in on the South Main development, but that doesn't mean he likes Wal-Mart.

His uncle was a founding partner of East Coasters. His Dad graduated from Virginia Tech, and met his mom who was attending Radford University. Much of his family's heritage lays in the surrounding area. His greatgreat- great grandfather Manassah Tice donated four of the five acres the town of Floyd was founded upon. His grandfather was the last gas-lamp lighter in Floyd's small downtown.

Like many, Jason Tice has grown an affinity for the area that surrounds the university he attended, so when he graduated from Virginia Tech in 1996 he decided to stay. Being near to his ailing grandmother who lived in Roanoke helped him make to make the decision. In 2002, Tice caught Verizon's attention while working at another electronics store in Pulaski. At age 28 he was approached by Verizon with an opportunity to become a franchise owner, an opportunity he was in the position to take, and he did.

Five years later he has settled comfortably into a downtown that has had more than its fair share of empty storefronts, and become a successful downtown merchant.

"When I founded my company, I never forgot what it's like to be on the other side of the counter," said Tice, who majored in Psychology. "We're about building relationships. We do more than sell a phone and a plan. That sounds cliché, but that's the way it should be done."

He will soon be opening a store in the Lifestyle Development part of the new development on South Main Street replacing the Lake Terrace and beyond. This part of the development has been overshadowed by the ongoing box store debate, but unlike the box-store, construction is already underway.

"Blacksburg has let Christiansburg take a lot of our tax base. A lot of people go out to Christiansburg to get one thing, then get a lot of things," Tice said. "I'm also upset about the loss of wetlands, and I do hope the developer is attentive to environmental responsibilities. And progress is part of the future. I'd rather be a part of it than watch it go by in protest."

Tice considered both Kent Square and the ever-growing University City Boulevard before deciding on South Main Street, which he had been watching ever since the 460-bypass was constructed. "Hopefully they'll figure out how to make the traffic situation alright," said Tice, who mentioned his dissatisfaction with Southgate traffic not being considered. "I am a fan of responsible development, and as such I am not a fan of the Wal- Mart phase, but they are two separate development plans."

And as for his view on the future of downtown: "Downtown seems to be changing towards entertainment and food. It's not a change I welcome, but I'm not going to fight the tide either."