06/03/2026
✨ Downtown Stories: Amy (Ogle) Fauquet, Executive Director – HDDA
As I celebrate my seventh anniversary as Executive Director of the Hickory Downtown Development Association this week, I wanted to share a bit of my own “Downtown Story.”
Downtown Hickory isn’t just where I work—it’s part of who I am.
I grew up within walking distance, on both sides of the railroad tracks, and some of my earliest memories are rooted right here. My dad and I would walk downtown together, sometimes along the railroad tracks, and sit at the Woolworth’s counter for lunch, ordering a cheeseburger. My mom would take my younger sister and me shopping at Melville's, and we always made sure to ride the elevator at Spainhour’s. Later, I spent my babysitting money on silver jewelry at Bigelow’s.
By middle school, my friends and I would make the mile walk downtown for BBQ sandwiches at the Arcade. On summer nights, my family would walk downtown just to window shop. It was simple, but it meant everything.
Downtown Hickory is imprinted on my bones. I’ve watched it flourish, fade, and find its way back again.
And Oktoberfest has always been a part of that story.
I remember my very first Oktoberfest—working at The Heidelberg on Union Square. Back then, I was just a small part of something that felt big, exciting, and full of energy.
Now, years later, it’s not lost on me how incredible it is that I get to help lead and shape that same event. What once felt like a moment is now something I get to help build for others.
A few years ago, an old classmate reached out after seeing that I had become Executive Director of HDDA. She told me how happy it made her to see that I was now the “keeper” of downtown. That has stayed with me.
Because to me, that’s what this role really is—helping care for something that has meant so much to so many people for generations.
Every event, every partnership, every small step forward is part of continuing that story—not just for me, but for all of us who call this community home.
💙 We’d love to hear your story too—what are your favorite Downtown Hickory memories?
