By 1960, there were now three banks in Henderson County.
In 1958 the State Trust Company merged with the Northwestern Bank to become known as the Northwestern Bank. The First Federal Savings and Loan Association was still located in Hendersonville.
In 1958 Union National Bank located in Charlotte merged with the First National Bank and Trust Company of Asheville to form the First Union National Bank of North Carolina. Soon afterward First Union National Bank opened in Hendersonville.
In the 1960 census, the category of finance, insurance and real estate, employed 286 people in Henderson County. There were about 12 insurance companies and/or agents of companies listed in the “Miller’s Directory.” About six businesses were listed under “real estate.”
As in 1950, the largest numbers of people classified themselves as “other retail.” This category employed 1,201 persons in 1960.
There were nine hardware stores and at least five stores selling appliances with at least three selling air conditioners. It was during the 1950s that air conditioning in homes became popular with a huge upswing in sales. But the majority of homes in Henderson County did not have air conditioning in 1960. There was a store specializing in lawn mowers. Eleven businesses were selling automobiles and there were at least six auto parts stores. The number of service stations is unknown as the “Miller’s Directory” did not list businesses outside of Hendersonville and the immediate area. The main bookstore was Barber’s Book Store and by 1960 the Bible Book and Gift Shop was in town. There were at least seven jewelers.
There were seven department stores still located in downtown Hendersonville: Belk-Simpson, Crest Stores, J.C. Penney, Kalin’s, McLellan, Rayliss and Woolworth’s. At least nine other stores sold clothing: two bargain houses, Levinson, Martin’s Women’s Wear, Patterson’s Men’s Wear and Patterson’s Women’s Wear, Schulman women’s wear, the Silhouette Shop, Sinclair Men’s Wear and the Yarn and Children’s Shop. The Singer Sewing Machine Company was located on Wall Street. There was the Mill End Store and Silk Shop, and the Remnant Shop to buy cloth and sewing supplies. There were three stores that sold only shoes. There were seven furniture stores and a used furniture store. The sole sporting goods store was Sherman’s Sporting Goods. The number of gift shops had increased to eight. There was still a silvercraft store and three antique shops. There were eight drug stores (pharmacies) in town: Beck Brothers, Economy, Freeze, Jackson, Justus, Rose’s, Whitley and Wilson. There were four florists in town by 1960.
By 1960, the number of people employed in retail food sales had decreased slightly to 296. A total of 31 stores were listed as selling groceries in 1960. This total is most likely higher has many of the general stores in the county were not listed. There were four major food chain groceries in town by 1960: A&P, Cash & Carry, Community Cash and Winn-Dixie. There were four meat markets listed in town by 1960.
The number of people employed in the wholesale trade increased to 367 persons in 1960. Select Foods, a food distribution company, opened in the county during the 1950s. There were two other food wholesale companies: Overton’s Cash Wholesale and Western Carolina Egg Marketing. There were three companies supplying wholesale meat and four wholesale florists supplied by the farms in the county growing flowers.
Repair services employed 196 persons in 1960, including everything from automobile repairs, upholsterers, appliance repair, jewelry repair and more.
Personal service businesses employed 496 people in 1960, a significant increase from 281 in 1950. These businesses included 12 barber shops, 16 beauty salons, three shoe repair shops, two tailors and two dressmakers. There are three dry cleaners in town and a new 1950s phenomenon, laundromats. In the 1950s they were called launderamas or automatic laundries. There were seven located in the county by 1960.
Private household workers totaled 583 people in 1960, an increase since 1950 when 490 people were employed in private household work.
Business services employed 69 people in 1960. Business services included advertising, accounting and bookkeepers.
“Eating and drinking establishments” employed 209 people in Henderson County in 1960. This number is about the same as in 1950. There were 15 restaurants and one cafeteria, the Home Food Shop, in Hendersonville and the immediate surrounding area in the 1960 directory. This number does not include restaurants, cafes and grills in other communities in the county. There were restaurants, cafes and grills in almost every community from Tuxedo to Bat Cave that are not listed in the directory.
There is a new category of employment in the 1960 census that was not listed separately in the 1950 census. This category is described as “welfare, religious and nonprofit.” A total of 151 persons in Henderson County were listed as employed in this category in 1960.
The “other professional” category on the 1960 census totaled 259 persons in Henderson County. This is higher than 181 persons in 1950. There were 15 law firms listed in Hendersonville by 1960. Others in this category included architects, engineers and other professionals.
By 1960 the three funeral homes, Jackson’s Funeral Directors, Thos. Shepherd Funeral Directors and Pilgrim’s Funeral Home, all had an ambulance service.