Many small rural towns have seen their commercial centers abandoned as larger super- stores replaced smaller owner-run stores. People started driving longer and longer distances on a regular basis. Although there is increased variety and lower costs of goods in these larger stores, what they lost was all the other important functions that small town stores provided:
- Places to meet and share information about what was happening in the community;
- individualized attention and personalized service;
- a local economy that spread wealth throughout the community, and
- knowing the people in every shop.
In the small rural town of Bonlee, NC, we are renovating three old storefronts built in the 1920's. At that time Bonlee was a railroad hub and a small center of commerce for the surrounding community. These stores operated as a grocery store, barber shop, and bank, all important community centers of activity, that closed in the 1970's.
The buildings were used for a variety of purposes after that, but never had the community value that the original uses provided. When we bought the buildings in the 1990's they were vacant, used for storage, or used for individual use. They were run down and in risk of deteriorating to the point of unusable.
Bonlee is still a hub of activity. It is a very busy crossroads, has a K-8 School, Post Office, Sawmill, Fire Station, Gas Station/Convenience Store, Poultry Supply Business, Car Repair and a Hardware Store. Sadly, these three stores standing empty in the center of town gave the town a look of inactivity and dilapidation.
Our goal in renovating these stores is to preserve the buildings while encouraging economic development and contributing to revitalizing Bonlee. By re-opening these abandoned stores the town will function better as a town. These buildings represent more than their physical structure; they also represent the extended community.
Original architectural features of the buildings are being preserved along with updates for today's marketplace such as internet access and computer networking. You can rent a storefront and be a part of this charming community for only $550/month.
During remodeling, original architectural features are preseved whenever possible.
High quality, natural building materials are used when reconstruction is necessary.
A friendly row of shops
This storefront will be available for rent in early Spring