News

Published 12:10 am Sunday, August 13, 2023 by Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — The Empire Hotel project has long been one of the last lynchpins in making downtown Salisbury realize its fullest potential as an economic and cultural hub for all of Rowan County.

After the city found developers and architects to help the building return to its former glory, they are ready to show what the first portion will look like.

On Thursday night, the Salisbury Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve the proposed plans for the Empire Block segment of the redevelopment project. Eddie Belk of Belk Architecture, one of the project’s partners, shared with the commission what to expect from this stage in the process.

“Empire Block is the best starting point and the best cornerstone for the overall project because we have five row houses being built that are ready for occupancy and in high demand already. So, we don’t have any question that the city is ready to re-occupy Bank Street,” Belk said.

The Empire Block section of the building is located at 220-228 South Main Street. Belk requested permission to make exterior and interior alterations to allow the construction of three commercial units, six townhomes facing West Bank Street, five apartments, and 17 hotel rooms or suites. According to the schematics, there are two phases to the Empire Block. Once the first phase is finished the second one will begin.

The front section of the building will have three pediments installed and the bricked-in windows will be demolished so that they will match the ones to the right side. It is Belk’s goal to preserve The Efird’s ghost sign, but he couldn’t guarantee it. The storefronts will no longer have their wooden façades and will be restored to match the original, historic designs. Belk said that it’s important to restore the entrances and doorways to the front of the building. There have been discussions about businesses taking over the first floor, but just how many there could be is still up in the air.

On the side of the building, along West Bank Street, the bricked-in windows are going to match the standard ones. Six windows will be lowered for the construction of six doorways. The sidewalk on West Bank Street will be extended, but it should not impede traffic once completed. Metal picket fencing will be put in to produce six new terraces for future tenants.

In the back of the Empire Block, windows will be installed to replace the plain brick wall that is there already. There are intentions to get rid of the additions between the townhomes and new apartments to make room for a southern and central courtyard.

Interior work on the building includes second floor baseboards, operable transoms, and skylights. “

We worked very hard to be sensitive to the history of the building and to put it back into a use that meets the modern day Salisbury,” Belk said.

Belk specified that they still have details to iron out before they send applications in the next few weeks to the State Historic Preservation Office so that they can do their historic tax credit reviews. They also need to continue to look over their full inspection drawings in order to get authorization from the Rowan County Inspection Office. The Empire Hotel and Montgomery Ward phases of the project will be evaluated sometime in the future.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2023/08/13/historic-preservation-commission-approves-plans-for-the-empire-block-project/

Published 12:10 am Tuesday, July 4, 2023

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — The Fourth of July is a time for millions Americans this summer to reflect and appreciate the country they live in. This means cookouts, fireworks and hanging out with friends and family. Parades are always great for kids to watch, but what if they could actually be in the parade while also getting a history lesson? Clyde, a local Salisbury artist, has helped lead the way by organizing a kids parade complete with bike floats, historical figures and several fun costumes on display.

“We don’t have enough history anymore. People don’t know facts. This is a positive, we want everybody to learn more about America and not be ashamed of a flag,” Clyde said. “We want to remember where we’ve been and serve as people.”

The parade started at the Salisbury City Hall building on South Main Street before stopping at different local landmarks. Volunteers dressed up as figures of history and shared stories about themselves and their accomplishments. Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, Betsy Ross, Paul Revere and George Washington all made appearances. Each person spoke about their importance to American history and how some of them connect to the city of Salisbury.

At the end of the parade, everyone made it to the Rowan Museum where they sung the song “God Bless America” on the front steps before escaping into the air conditioned building. Special prizes were then handed out to the best kids’ costume and best bike float.

What made the parade truly stand out was having both kids and their parents participate in it together. Casey Akers originally came to town to bring her three kids to the transportation museum, but when she found out that the parade was going on in downtown Salisbury, she knew she had to check it out.

“We loved it,” Akers said. “It was wonderful! Their favorite parts were the museum and the prizes!”

Clyde had put on the same parade last year and plans on doing it again next year. He thinks getting kids excited about history leads to a better future for the entire country. After seeing their enthusiasm and spirit during the parade and at the museum, Clyde acknowledged everything he did was for the kids.

“It was perfect. They’ll always remember being at the courthouse and being at the museum.” Clyde said. “This is what we want America to be”

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2023/07/04/fourth-of-july-parade-celebrates-both-local-and-american-histories/

Published 12:10 am Tuesday, July 4, 2023

By Robert Sullivan

Downtown Salisbury has become even more pet-friendly over the past month thanks to Theresa Pitner, owner of dog training service Understanding Your Dog.

Starting in May, Pitner went around to all of the stores downtown and started making a list of which ones allowed dogs inside. What she found during her list-taking was that almost every business downtown is dog-friendly.

“It is amazing how many shops allow dogs in them. I would go into these stores and ask if they allowed dogs, and all of them would say ‘of course we do, you didn’t know that,’” said Pitner.

The only stores that told her no were the ones that were forced to deny dogs due to health reasons, according to Pitner, places such as the restaurants, tattoo parlors and beauty parlors.

What Pitner was working on was adding outdoor dog bowls to every downtown storefront that would take one. She passed out the water bowls to all of the businesses who said they allowed dogs, in total handing out 35.

“Dogs bring people with them. If downtown is dog-friendly, that’s more people and customers that will go to those stores,” said Pitner.

Pitner thought of the idea because she used to have a downtown location for her dog training business on East Council Street. While there, Pitner would have clients take their pets on walks through the area in order to help them socialize with other people and dogs.

“I noticed that a lot of bigger cities had stuff like this. So while I was having people walk their dogs through the town, I was thinking about how nice it would be if I could take some of my clients through the stores and not just socialize their dogs, but also introduce them to our businesses,” said Pitner.

While Pitner may have moved her business out of the East Council Street Location, her effect on downtown’s pet-friendliness remains. A month after she began her project, all 35 businesses still fill up the water bowls and leave them on the sidewalk on hot summer days for passing dogs to stop for a drink.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2023/07/04/downtown-stores-placing-out-dog-bowls-in-effort-to-become-more-pet-friendly/

May 25, 2023 Emmie Brooks Article, Business

SALISBURY — Cheerwine barbeque, Cheerwine infused beers, Cheerwine cannolis, and so much more, were just the tip of the iceberg for Salisbury’s annual Cheerwine Festival. This year’s festival was May 20th from noon to 10PM, featuring shops, snacks, and shows galore to celebrate the over 100 year old family business. 

“There is always such a buzz and excitement. People come to the festival from literally all over the country,” Vivian Koontz, City of Salisbury Events Coordinator said. “Cheerwine has such a strong following that people are really excited to be here.” 

Cheerwine began in 1917 by L.D. Peeler in Salisbury in the midst of a sugar shortage. Due to the shortage, Peeler discovered a wild cherry flavoring that paired well with the other flavors in motion. Cheerwine is the oldest continuing soft drink and has been run by the same family since the start. 

“You could say Cheerwine runs through my blood,” Joy Harper, Vice President of Marketing for Cheerwine said. Harper’s great-great-grandfather, is L.D. Peeler. “I always had an interest in the family business growing up. I held summer jobs, then I went to school to focus on business and there was an opportunity to come back to work for the family business.” 

The mix of the soft drink was and is today a burgundy color, bringing the “wine” reference into play. The “cheer” was added because of how the drink made people feel: cheery. 

“Cheerwine has been based here in our hometown for over 100 years, still family owned and operated, and employing over 800 people in the area” Harper said. “Our fans through generations have made it a part of their celebrations, traditions, and it’s become engraved as a part of southern culture.” 

The first Cheerwine Festival was hosted by Cheerwine in 2017 to celebrate the compay’s 100th birthday. Following that festival, the city of Salisbury decided to partner with Cheerwine to make the festival an annual event. The Cheerwine Festival itself offers activities for both children and adults to indulge in. 

“We have always had the rock wall at the festival, it’s kind of the staple piece, right in the middle, it showcases the festival,” Koontz said. “F&M Bank provides our activities, they are the sponsor of the Kids Zone and they have a lot of activities for the kids.” 

Along with the rock tower available for children to climb, F&M bank also provides balloons, sandboxes, games, and much more. Many adult activities are also found around the streetways. 

“We try to have really great food, we’re selective about our music to make sure we have a good variety that reaches all genres,” Koontz said. “The Cheerwine beer is always a driving force, and all of those Cheerwine-inspired things you can only get at the festival.” 

The four featured artists/bands ranged from everyone’s favorite country music,

performed by Ryan Perry, to New Local, a Charlotte local band, playing admired pop music. Divided by Four brought a saltwater breeze to Salisbury with their classic jazz and beach music. To end the night, the multiplatinum alternative quartet Neon Trees performed award winning songs to hundreds of screaming fans. 

“If you are new to the Carolinas, it [Cheerwine] is a great welcoming to the Carolinas,” Harper said. “It is unlike any other soft drink, and you are supporting a local business.”

Salisbury, NC: The independent bookstores of greater Charlotte are delighted to announce the return of the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl!

Beginning April 1, bookstore lovers can pick up Greater Charlotte Book Crawl (GCBC) passports at any of fifteen participating bookstores. Each visit to one of the bookstores during the month of April earns the crawler a new stamp – no purchase necessary. The ultimate goal is to visit all fifteen stores, from Salisbury to Rock Hill, before the GCBC ends on April 29: National Independent Bookstore Day.

Each “Finisher” will earn a special edition GCBC decal designed by Davidson artist Lily Clark; simply show a completed passport at any participating bookstore to collect a prize. Finishers can also submit a photo of their completed passport to be entered in a drawing for the Grand Prize: a collection of gift cards from each participating bookstore (a $300 value).

Coinciding with the GCBC is a book collection for area nonprofit Promising Pages, whose work aims to end book deserts in Charlotte. Collection bins will be at each of the locations, and GCBC participants are welcome to donate brand new or gently-used books for kids into the bins.

The Greater Charlotte Book Crawl launched in April 2022 as a way to celebrate the importance of bookstores in the literary ecosystem, to celebrate Charlotte’s unique and growing indie book scene, and to offer area readers a fun, adventurous way to connect with fellow book lovers.

“Partnering with other independent bookstores has been one of the highlights of my life as a bookseller so far,” says Alissa Redmond, owner of South Main Book Company in Salisbury. “I am working incredibly hard to have our bookmobile – a Japanese fire truck – operational by April 1 so Hazelnut, South Main’s trusty shop dog, and I can visit many of the other stores in the Crawl and raise awareness around literacy promotion in the Carolinas.”

For the full list of participating bookstores, more information about the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl, or a printable passport, please visit https://greatercharlottebookcrawl.com.