JDH Capital : News
BYRUM'S GENERAL: HISTORIC STORE WILL STAY FOR NOW
10 Feb 2008
TINA HOYLE-
Steele Creek --
Developer JDH Capital has given new details about the Shopton Square shopping center it plans to build near the historic 118-year-old Byrum's General Store.
And while it's still in doubt whether the beloved general store will stay open long-term, for now the building will not need to move or be torn down.
The new shopping center will begin site work in May, said Sheri Faulkner, director of marketing and research at JDH Capital. A Bloom grocery store is planned as the anchor of the center at the intersection of the soon-to-be realigned Berewick Commons Parkway and N.C. 160, just east of Interstate 485. Opening is expected during the second quarter of 2009.
In addition to the 38,000-square-foot anchor, the center includes 29,000 square feet of small retail space and several outparcels. A CVS drugstore will be among the tenants.
But the developer did not buy the land under Byrum's. Current owner Robby Byrum, whose family has run the store since 1890, says his plans are uncertain.
He'll stay open selling fishing tackle and supplies, food, drinks and other items until the right opportunity comes along, he said. He's focusing on moving his nearby house and his mother's house off the shopping center property to new locations up the road before construction begins, he said.
Customers will mourn if Byrum's closes.
Lorenzo Little, who lives in the Anson County town of Polkton, stops by every day on his way to his work nearby. If Byrum's closes, he may have to stop fishing, he said.
The store is known for its extensive fishing tackle supplies and the 3,000 rods, ranging from $59 to $355, it keeps in stock. Little's love for the store runs in the family -- his grandparents once worked in the fields surrounding Byrum's and stopped by for cold drinks often.
Caja Ormand, who shops there about once a week, used to be a semi-pro fisherman. The Kings Mountain resident likes coming by to chat with other fishermen, he said.
He and Little agreed the store is like a family gathering.
Many area residents say they're looking forward to the conveniences the shopping center will bring. Steele Creek resident Terri Morris is "very excited to have another shopping area near her home," she said.
Among Morris' hopes for the center: "Fun stuff for children (and) more child-friendly businesses open in the new area," she said.
