Making new history: Lumberton councilman shares plans to bring new life to historic downtown building
By Stephanie Meador, posted Dec 20, 2024 on BizFayetteville.com
mural on the side of the building was painted by Chapel Hill based artist Scott Nurkin in 2019. Photo provided by Sky Media.
Lumberton Councilman Owen Thomas recently purchased the historic Carlyle Building in downtown Lumberton with hopes to catalyze further growth in the city’s downtown. The building, located at 304 N Elm St., was built in 1910 and features a 3,100 square foot downstairs space and a 3,100 square foot upstairs space.
“What drew me to the building was that you had that beautiful mural, it’s got an open floor plan, it’s got an upstairs, because I'm very interested in the idea of having mixed-use, having some residential upstairs with retail downstairs,” shared Thomas.
There will be two primary phases to the project. The first, Thomas shared, involves getting the first floor cleaned up and marketed to a retailer. Then for the second phase, unless the initial first floor tenant requires the upstairs space as well, Thomas intends to work towards developing the second level into apartments.
The closing date for the purchase is set to be in mid-January.
“I’ve already met with code enforcement and kind of walked through the building and got an idea of what requirements I have in that regard. So I’ve done my homework. I know what needs to be done,” added Thomas.
Once the space is cleaned up and ready for a new tenant, Thomas shared that he intends to allow the future occupant to play a large part in deciding what sort of renovations need to be done to cultivate the space for their business. With the building being historic, Thomas aims to maintain the charm and character of the space while simultaneously bringing it up to code and making it suitable for modern operations.
With appreciation for the downtown of the past, the community looks forward to the growth that will shape its future. One piece of history attached to the building is the Carlyle name plaque on the front, which Thomas shared he plans to keep.
“There is a lot of energy [being put] into the downtown. We’re tied in with North Carolina Main Street and we’ve got committees downtown that have a lot of energy. We just had our tree lighting on Friday, and there were more people downtown than I’ve seen in a long time for that event, actually, probably ever for that particular event. From the Civic Center Annex that’s being constructed right now, that’s going to be a very nice space, to some stuff going on with the Plaza, we’re creating more parking spaces, we have a historic old fire department that’s being renovated currently, so there’s a lot of energy [going towards] it,” remarked Thomas.
Thomas is in his second term with city council. He shared that he has been a realtor for about five years now and has some other rental property in the area, but this initiative to revitalize the downtown area is very important to him.
“Since I’ve gotten on council, it’s been part of my goal to see downtown come back to life, because I know how important that is to the community,” Thomas added.
In purchasing the Carlyle building and bringing new business to the area, Thomas hopes to inspire other business people in the area to invest in the growth of the downtown as well. “It feels like being at the forefront [and being] someone that’s taking that leap of faith. I’m excited to see who else comes forward interested in being downtown, and who's going to be next to do something as well. We have a lot of buildings that need some love. So I’m excited to see who else is going to come forward to invest in what we have going on,” shared Thomas.
Thomas is eager to find a tenant to settle into the space and make it their own. He shared in his initial announcement to LinkedIn: “If you’ve been looking for a place to launch or grow your business—or have a vision for what this space could become— let’s talk! This is a unique opportunity to be part of the exciting transformation happening in Lumberton.”
Potential future tenants can reach out to Owen Thomas by phone 919-889-2514 or email owenthomas@remax.net.
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