NORFOLK, Va. — Growing and revitalizing the City of Norfolk is the purpose behind many of the major projects across the city.
Sean Washington, the head of economic development for the city, says the goal is to revitalize downtown. Along with other areas, like Military Circle Mall, in order to drive tourism and business.
"If you look at the trends nationally, it's a lot of push and investment in all things kind of amateur and youth sports...We want to see if that can actually be a good particular concept and project for Military Circle Mall.” Washington said. “We want to bring new dollars into this region.”
But it's not just big projects. Bringing new businesses, like "Rolled Up," to downtown is another important point for city officials. Austin Hildenbrand manages the kitchen at the restaurant. He says the last few weeks have been a dream come true.
“Business has been doing well. We honestly didn't expect to be so well known so early," Hildenbrand said. "We just opened up a month and a half ago and it's just been go, go, go, trying to keep up with all the tickets and everybody coming in.”
The restaurant located on Granby St. opened earlier this summer and serves customized egg rolls. Putting their own spin on the Chinese-American snack. The eatery dishes out a variety of Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Parmesan and even dessert-styled rolls.
The staff members at Rolled Up are already putting their mark on the downtown area. They tell me the community should be at the heart of any development to continue the progress.