LAURINBURG — With the emergence and popularity of shopping centers and malls towards the end of the 20th century, many smaller downtowns across the nation suffered with the loss of businesses.
Not so much in Laurinburg, as the business sector remains stronger than most. But now there’s a reassurance that could mean some will be seeing a different view of the downtown.
Currently, downtown Laurinburg is full of holiday cheer, with Christmas lights making the area seem to belong in a movie. But when the lights go down, downtown will look like many in the community have grown to know it. Many are coming to downtown with business ideas and renovations for the old buildings, but many of those are on the first floors where you can walk in straight from the street — what about above them?
Many in the downtown area use the upper floors for storage, but there could be another benefit to them — apartments. While there is no guarantee that downtown could have residential space, it could happen in the near future.
Chris English, the executive director of the Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce, and his wife Belinda own the building Scotland Bling is located in. Upstairs is currently storage for excess merchandise, but there is potential if you look through the peeling walls that at one time were attorney offices. Above some of the doors are also the names of lawyers who once rented the upper floors.
“We’ve been looking into ideas of what to do with it,” Chris said. “So we reached out to the Main Street program and had the UNCG School of Design draw up some renderings for the space.”
Currently, there are two bathrooms, a large open space and connecting rooms that go throughout the space that could be turned into four different apartments. The English’s aren’t 100% sure what the space was used for originally, but it is believed it could have been a boarding house since there are sinks in every room.
“Having apartments above different buildings in downtown would offer a lot more to the area,” Chris said. “We’re getting new businesses coming downtown, so having residential space they would be able to walk to the stores and restaurants downtown and wouldn’t have to go far.”
While the Englishes aren’t completely sold on the idea yet, as the director for the Chamber, Chris is hopeful that apartments could see a future in downtown.
“Having people live downtown will make it a more vibrant community,” Chris said. “If there’s life in these buildings, people will want to take care of them more.”
According to Beacham McDougald, in the past, there have been residences above multiple storefronts throughout the year, including the two floors above where the ‘Tis the Season store currently is.
“People started moving out of downtown in the apartments around the 1980s, about the time when downtown started to decline,” McDougald said. “But I think it would be a great idea and it would be good to see people start living downtown again.”
Bill Parker was one of those who lived downtown during its heyday, and he said he hopes downtown has a lot of potential.
“Growing up I saw Laurinburg when every storefront had a merchant in it,” Parker said. “Downtown was the center of everything … I didn’t think anything of it when I was growing up, but looking back it was a unique experience to grow up downtown.”
Parker added he could see a lot of mom and pop type stores coming to downtown as more and more investment into downtown continues.
“There are so many places that could do well for business,” Parker said. “Everyone just has to use their imagination to see what could happen in the spaces that are already there.”
While people might not have lived in downtown for years, as the city continues moving towards the revitalization of downtown the more the topic is brought about.
“There’s been some discussion about having apartments and residential space downtown,” said Downtown Development Coordinator Daniel Walters. “When you look at other downtowns who do have residential space, they’re able to walk out their door and go shopping or to restaurants without ever having to get in their car, so it’s a benefit for the economic development of downtown.”
Walters added that anyone who owns a building downtown can submit to have a rendering done by UNCG’s School of Design if the project is submitted to the North Carolina Main Street Program, which has been helping Laurinburg with its revitalization.
While the apartments coming to reality might be something of the future, it is an idea for building owners to look into as a way of not only bringing more people to downtown, but also helping to grow the area as well.
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at [email protected]
