Color mural will stay in Downtown Conover

CONOVER, N.C. – A mural in Downtown Conover will stay put on the side of a wellness business on First Avenue South.

“That’s what we were hoping for, is to bring people to Conover,” Billie Barringer, owner of Evexia said.

After learning the city didn’t have a written mural policy, business owners Billie Barringer and her husband Justin Barringer commissioned artist James Smith to paint the mural back in June. Within days of completion, code enforcement sent the couple a letter saying the colors violated the city’s neutral palette.

Code enforcement demanded the couple paint over the mural before July 4th or they could face fines. After our story aired, the city changed course.

In a statement on Facebook the City of Conover says they’ll let the mural stay.

The statement also reads “We’ve been working for months on rewriting our code from the ground up, including how we handle murals and public art. Good policy takes time, and we’re committed to getting it right.”

The Barringers are excited about the opportunity to expand public art and culture in the city.

“We’re hoping to be a part of that and help with that, because we want everyone. Everybody that’s a business owner should have the right [to have a mural],” Barringer said.

Barringer hopes the new municipal code will clear the way for art to be a part of economic development and tourism for the city.

“We have wonderful little gems here that people really don’t know about because, you know, we got to put it on the map. And I hope that this does that too,” Barringer said.

The City of Conover says in addition to updating the zoning code, the city continues to invest in public art. They pointed to active projects at the public library and Conover Station.