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David Perry can remember when downtown Goldsboro was like many other downtowns across the state -- little activity, few businesses, waning investment.
But he's watched from the sidelines as development in downtown Goldsboro was first jumpstarted by local government, with the investment to build a new City Hall annex and improve the look of the first block of Center Street.
The past few years have signaled a resurgence in downtown investments, with new businesses opening regularly, new apartments being added to downtown's housing stock and continued government investment, including federal grants.
The completion of the $15 million local and federally funded streetscape project along Center Street, in 2016, has served as the catalyst to downtown revitalization.
More and more people are making downtown a destination by visiting stores, stopping by restaurants, strolling along Center Street and taking in a little nightlife.
"Generally, I think, people located their business downtown 10, 15 years ago for one of two reasons," said Julie Metz, Goldsboro's downtown development director. "They felt nostalgic about downtown and it was cheap. Now, they're moving downtown because it's vibrant, growing and an exciting place to be."
Perry, the president of Perry Real Estate and Goldsboro Builders Supply, sees the potential in entering the downtown market by developing two properties, a two-story commercial and residential property on Center Street and the former Goldsboro Fire Station on Ash Street.
His goal is twofold -- getting a jump on the market and helping improve the quality of life in his hometown.
"I see the emergence of downtown, and I see we're right on the verge of this thing really taking off," he said. "The tide is just rising, and I feel that now is a great time to get in there.”
By developing the two properties, Perry will add new apartments and two businesses, including a drugstore, on Center Street. The fire station is in the process of being converted into a future CrossFit, on the ground level, and an event center, photography studio and office site on the second floor.
By adding a variety of businesses, Perry not only hopes to stimulate the local economy but also create new opportunities to attract younger residents.
"I wanted to do something positive for Goldsboro," Perry said. "I just felt like it was an opportunity for me to give back to the community a little bit because this is where I grew up, and this is my home. In order for young people to come to Goldsboro, we have to have two things. You've got to have a job and you've got to have a good quality of life. So it's a good investment, plus it helps Goldsboro. Hopefully, it will encourage people to consider living here, moving here."
The renovations to both properties have involved following historical guidelines in preserving the historical integrity of the buildings.
GOLDSBORO FIRE STATION
The two-story fire station, which was in operation from 1939 to 1972, will retain much of the look and feel of its original construction, by maintaining the fire tower, after an elevator is installed, retaining interior brick walls and keeping four fire poles in place.
The near 11,000-square-foot building, at 109 E. Ash St., will have a new CrossFit gym on the back half of the first floor. Bear Fox Studio will be located on the second floor with space for a 275-person capacity historic event, meeting and wedding center, with the added use of an outdoor deck. The second floor will also be used as a collaborative office area and a photography studio.
A 1,500-square-foot, partially covered outdoor deck will be an added bonus, with a bird's-eye view of the 1953 model F-86H Sabre Fighter Jet on display, at the Ash Street roundabout, and a view of Center Street, Perry said.
"The view of downtown and especially the lighted jet plane on the pedestal at the end of Center Street will be phenomenal," he said.
An area at the back of the building will be designed for outdoor bocci ball, corn hole and pingpong games, with a fire pit and area for live music.
Work has already started on the addition of a new parking lot at the side of the building. A section of the property, alongside John Street, is planned for future development where another building could eventually be added.
Each of the businesses will have its own entrance door, and the old fire station building is expected to open in October, Perry said.
GOLDSBORO HOSPITAL
On Center Street, work is taking place to convert what once was a Goldsboro hospital into a first-floor drugstore, the Downtown Pharmacy, and a separate wine design, art and antique studio, the Mulberry Marketplace, which will be accessible from Mulberry Street.
The 151 N. Center St. building will also include The Mulberry, where four historic, two-bedroom apartments are under construction on the second floor. The apartments will have open ceilings with reclaimed wood, exposed brick, plank flooring, designer cabinets, ceramic-tiled bathroom floors and intricate time-stamped millwork.
"Being on the corner, they have lots of oversized windows with incredible views of the downtown streetscape project," Perry said.
The Mulberry is expected to be fully leased when it opens in April. The downtown businesses have not set opening dates but could be in operation as early as May.
The Center Street building is planned to have a sign signifying the history of the building as Goldsboro's first hospital, circa 1896.
"In summary, we feel our projects will be a prudent investment, will provide jobs, enhance the quality of life in Goldsboro and help make downtown Goldsboro a destination," Perry said.
The success of his first two projects could lead to more in the future, he said.
"If this does as well as I think it will, and, of course, I hope it does, I'll do some more," he said. "Once I've determined this is all good, I'll probably do some more."
During the past several years, dozens of properties in the downtown area have been purchased and rehabilitated, new businesses have opened, and apartments continue to be added.
Nearly $5 million in private investment was made in the downtown district during the last year on record, which ended June 2017. During the year, 19 businesses opened, 19 rehabilitation projects were completed, and nearly 80 jobs were created.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: putting an ABC store at that spot is a really bad idea. Not only is it close to an elementary school, but it’s a stone’s throw away from a really sketchy area further east along Tommy’s Road. Of all the other possible locations and they had to pick that one. The city council should’ve put this as a separate vote rather than cram it in with the other stuff. I don’t know of anybody in the area that’s in favor of this.
I’m not judging people that drink. That’s their business. My beef is that the store could every easily turn into a crime magnet like the one in Fremont did before it closed, and that’s not a good thing to have in close proximity to an elementary school.
That's where I do alot of my shopping and I agree. Terrible location for an ABC store!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: putting an ABC store at that spot is a really bad idea. Not only is it close to an elementary school, but it’s a stone’s throw away from a really sketchy area further east along Tommy’s Road. Of all the other possible locations and they had to pick that one. The city council should’ve put this as a separate vote rather than cram it in with the other stuff. I don’t know of anybody in the area that’s in favor of this.
I’m not judging people that drink. That’s their business. My beef is that the store could every easily turn into a crime magnet like the one in Fremont did before it closed, and that’s not a good thing to have in close proximity to an elementary school.
The city council approved the ABC store. I’m shocked.
Also during the meeting Monday, the council approved site and landscape plans for what will become Wayne County's sixth Alcoholic Beverage Control store on Wayne Memorial Drive, near Tommy's Road.
Approval of the plans paves the way for the start of construction of the 5,000-square-foot store, which will be surrounded by a parking lot, rear loading dock and landscaping.
Another reason this is a stupid move is that northern Wayne County is already served by the existing store on W. Grantham Street in the Little River Square shopping center near the I-795 interchange. For example, it’s 8.5 miles from Pikeville. The new store will be barely a mile closer.
Yeah, the new store will be a huge time-saver for those living in Pikeville and Fremont!
When the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center opened March 1, one piece of the puzzle was still missing -- an adjacent hotel.
And without a quality hotel, the center will have problems booking larger events that look for nearby hotel space, Wayne County officials have said.
On Monday, Goldsboro and county officials met with a company -- the name of which has not been announced -- to hear proposals on data collection.
That information to be collected is not currently available, but it is needed to help recruit a hotel developer, Wayne County Commission Chairman Bill Pate said.
The company would compile the data for the county and suggest leads to follow.
Companies that build hotels will need the data upfront before deciding whether they are going to build here, he said.
The process is in the preliminary stages, and no decision has been made, Pate said.
"We will have to go back and talk to our boards about it first," he said.
Pate said he has not had a chance to finish reading the proposal and that he does not know what the timeline for such an effort would be.
The hotel is part of the March 2015 partnership between Wayne County and the city of Goldsboro that helped turn decades of dreams of a convention center into a reality.
Under the agreement, Goldsboro conveyed 12 of the 18 acres it owns on Wayne Memorial Drive to the county for the agricultural center, which will serve a dual role as a convention center.
In return, Wayne County helped the city to proceed with its plans to convert the former Goldsboro Country Club into the Goldsboro Event Center and with a new multi-sports complex adjacent to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
As part of the deal, the city agreed to work to attract a company to build a first-rate hotel on the lot adjoining the Maxwell Center property.
That has yet to happen, leading Wayne County commissioners to voice concerns during a January joint meeting with the Goldsboro City Council that the lack of a hotel will adversely affect the center's ability to attract bookings.
But even without the hotel, more than 10,000 people visited the Maxwell Center during its first week of operation, Pate said.
Pate was questioned about the hotel Saturday during the Wayne County Republican Party convention.
"We were smart enough to realize that we were not smart enough to recruit a hotel," Pate said. "But what we did, we went out and recruited consultants who do that for a living."
The hotel is needed to make the center the total success that it will be, Pate said.
"It is still going to be a success," Pate said. "I want to make sure that I make that clear. It will be a success, but we need that hotel. Those big conventions that come, you have got to have a place where they can walk over to their room. If you have wine and beer served at some sort of thing, you don't want anybody on the road driving. We are working on that, and we will get it."
The whole concept that the county had with the Maxwell Center was based on having a hotel, Commissioner Joe Daughtery said at the January joint meeting.
"The viability is hinging on that hotel," he said "We are going to have to make this happen somehow. It is important."
During that same meeting, Maxwell Center Director James Wade said he has a lot of people calling inquiring about booking dates. But when they hear that there is no hotel yet, some of them have said he needed to call them back when he can get a date for the hotel.
Mayor Chuck Allen and City Manager Scott Stevens assured commissioners during the meeting that the hotel remains a priority for the city.
There is a need for a good hotel and a good restaurant on that corner, Allen said. The restaurant will help draw a hotel, he said.
Since then city and county officials have continued to meet to talk about what might be done differently, Stevens said.
The firm would do a market analysis and "sort of a feasibility study" to have better data than just what the city knows from data on night stays and that kind of information, Stevens said.
The study would provide a clearer understanding of what hotels are really after, he said.
Goldsboro has been selected as the first recipient of a $25,000 art infusion grant from One Main Financial Co. for a downtown beautification project.
The Made on Main Street grant will provide funds for local artists to create a large mural on the outside of one of the downtown buildings, that will be chosen later in the process. In addition, local artists will also create six crosswalk murals.
"This partnership offers a unique opportunity to infuse art into the heart of our city," said Julie Metz, downtown development director. "Potentially, seven different artists have the chance to leave their artistic mark on downtown Goldsboro, allowing for varying styles, colors, subjects and perspectives. It is our hope that this kind of diversity will mirror that in our community. We feel honored that One Main Financial and Main Street America have selected the city of Goldsboro's main street program as the first recipient of this new grant."
The mural will also highlight one of Goldsboro's assets -- the fact that it's part of the African American Music Trail of North Carolina, which was created by the North Carolina Arts Council in 2005 to highlight the rich music traditions of the eastern part of the state.
The city has taken proposals from local artists for the murals. From April 9 through 19, the top three designs for the building mural will be promoted and will be available for public feedback.
April 21, the selected artist and his or her design will be announced at an event organized by One Main Financial Co., the city and National Main Street Center that will be open to the public.
During the event, six artists will create the crosswalk murals while visitors watch. Two murals will be painted at the intersection of John and Walnut streets, and the remaining four will be painted at the intersection of James and Walnut streets.
"The hope is that these murals will add interest, vibrancy, color and character to these sections of downtown," Metz said.
The artist who will do the building mural will have until June 2 to complete the artwork.
Metz said the murals are an ongoing effort to create a thriving public art environment to enhance Goldsboro's uniqueness and support downtown's economic development strategy.
The murals will be unique to Goldsboro and will serve as an attraction for tourists.
Metz said they will also tell Goldsboro's story and serve as a space to celebrate and honor the community members who contributed, directly or indirectly, to the music movement that spurred the development of the African American Music Trail.
A healthy lifestyle restaurant that offers meal plans, customized diets, take-out and dining options is now serving the Goldsboro area.
Clean Eatz, at 502-A Eastgate Drive near Barnes Jewelers, is open for business Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The restaurant, where all food items are prepared and cooked on-site, provides dine-in service and a menu with sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, child's meals and smoothies. Clean Eatz serves food that is as close as possible to its natural state, said Taylor-Quinn Yancey, manager.
"There's nothing around here like this," said owner Mike Garrett, who also owns CrossFit Goldsboro. "We're a healthier choice with a wide range of proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates. (We're here) to educate and change people's lives."
Clean Eatz has a full menu that includes burgers, without hamburger, but instead made with turkey, black bean or bison. Several sandwich and flatbread meals, as well as wraps, are available. There are also menu items geared toward customers interested in building muscle.
"We do have healthier versions of traditional foods," Yancey said. "All of (our) wraps are ordered every day. Our most popular option is build your own bowl. That one is customizable."
Customers can decide on one of three build your own bowl sizes. The bowls are built by first selecting a base, such as brown rice, spinach or a sweet potato, and adding protein, three vegetables and a sauce.
Snacks, such as buffalo cauliflower and nachos, are on the menu, as well as several all-protein smoothies and children's meals. Children can choose from a teriyaki chicken bowl, taco nacho, barbecue beef flatbread and a salmon-based meal.
"It's teaching the younger generation how to eat healthy," Garrett said. "We're educating and teaching kids how to eat correctly to help set them up for success."
No salt or butter are added during the cooking process and all vegetables are steamed, Yancey said. Sodium and calorie free spices are available in the restaurant or for purchase.
Clean Eatz also has a booklet available for customers interested in knowing the nutritional content of every item, including the amount of calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates. The booklet also provides information for people with certain allergies.
Clean Eatz is able to customize orders that match the nutritional needs of customers.
Employees are also available to help customers plan meals if they are trying to lose weight, improve overall health or if they have health complications and need to restrict certain items from a menu plan.
"We want people, if they have a goal in the gym or lifestyle goals, we want to be able to be a part of that and help people reach their goals," Garrett said. "It's another way that we can help change lives."
The business is far more than a restaurant, with its highest volume of business from prepackaged and preordered meals. Clean Eatz in Goldsboro sells close to 1,200 meals per week, Garrett said. All of the meals are prepared inside the restaurant.
Prepackaged meal menus are released every Thursday, with ordering available online at Home | Clean Eatz - Clean Eatz, Thursday through Sunday, and available for pickup Monday or Tuesday.
The business also has freezers stocked with Grab-n-Go meals. Breakfast items start at $5 and lunch and dinner meals are $6.50.
"These meals last in the refrigerator one week and six months in the freezer," Yancey said.
Clean Eatz also provides catering service to the local community.
Garrett, who owns three businesses, including two in Goldsboro, has a master's degree in exercise science and health promotion. Prior to opening Clean Eatz, he was a professor at the University of Mount Olive.
Yancey, who previously worked as assistant director of the UMO wellness center, has a bachelor's degree in recreation management and a master's degree in recreation administration.
"I've been passionate about health and wellness since college," Yancey said. "It's easy to put in work at the gym and not see results because you're not eating well."
Clean Eatz plans to roll out new menu options in April. New items include three different salads, a vegetarian burger, more vegetarian and vegan options, green smoothies, a new making muscle burger and all new side items.
"This is how the body is intended to eat, not processed junk all the time," Garrett said. "The cleaner the food, the better it is."
FREMONT -- The 32nd annual Fremont Daffodil Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 31.
The opening ceremony will be held from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on the Main Street stage and will be followed by the Fremont Memorial Park recognition on Goldsboro Street.
The recognition is a tradition to honor those who have died and who have made a difference in their community.
Mayor Darron Flowers will give the welcome, and Keith Stewart, one of the festival organizers, will make the introductions.
The Miss and Little Miss Daffodil Pageant will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 25, at the Fremont United Methodist Church fellowship hall.
Former Miss Daffodil and Little Miss Daffodil queens will be introduced during the festival's opening ceremony.
The GoWayneGo 5K Walk, sponsored by Wayne UNC Health Care, will step off at 10 a.m.
The townwide arts and crafts show and sale also will start at 10 a.m.
The Embers will be in concert from noon to 2 p.m. on stage two on North Sycamore Street.
Entertainment on the Main Street stage, located at Main and Goldsboro streets, will feature:
* 10:30 to 10:50 a.m., Fremont Preschool from Fremont United Methodist Church.
* 10:50 to 11:15 a.m., Fremont STARS.
* 11:15 a.m. to noon, 3 Dancing Sisters & Co.
* 2 to 3 p.m., karaoke for everyone to participate.
* 3 to 3:30 p.m., Desiree Autrey's Academy of Performing Arts.
* 3:30 to 5 p.m., TripleWide (rock band).
* 5 p.m., all ticket drawings.
"The fire department, Lions Club and several churches will have fundraisers," Stewart said. "All of those drawings will occur at 5 o'clock."
The Children's Alley will be located on East Main Street behind the BB&T parking lot and feature a variety of activities for children
It will include the Bella Express Trackless Train; remote control racing; the Screamer Slide; Big Top Playland; 40-foot obstacle course; Adventure Bounce House; and dunking booth.
Events going on all day include: Open house at the Fremont Heritage Museum, 112 E. Main St.; Fremont Garden Club exhibit at town hall; 501st Legion and World Wide Stars Wars Costuming Group; and the Antique Tractor Club of the Carolinas.
And as always, there will be a large assortment of food including seafood and barbecue, Stewart said.
In 1958, Bugs Barringer, a writer for the News & Observer, wrote in about Fremont, "The Daffodil Town" in an article about the town's daffodil gardens.
Some years later, the town created the Daffodil Festival to celebrate the arrival of spring and the blooming yellow flower.
The Goldsboro City Council will consider tonight whether to support a $32,000 feasibility study that will explore the market's ability to support a full-service hotel near the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
The Wayne County Tourism Development Authority is proposing to hire HVS, a hospitality consulting and research firm, to complete a market feasibility study. The tourism authority plans to pay $12,800 of the cost and is asking city and county officials to each pay $9,600.
The council will vote on the proposal during its 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall.
The HVS study is planned to include a demand analysis of the Maxwell Center by forecasting occupancy and average daily rates, along with projected incomes and expenses.
The company will also complete a meeting planner survey study, recommend hotels and complete a feasibility analysis of possible investors.
The fate of the city's property, at the corner of Wayne Memorial Drive and New Hope Road, hinges on luring a full-service hotel to the 6-acre site to complement the recently opened Maxwell Center.
City leaders have been marketing the property for the past couple years and are interested in attracting a hotel that offers a minimum of 150 rooms, a restaurant, lounge and at least 2,700 square feet of flexible meeting space. There is also an interest in attracting restaurants and retail stores to the property.
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The city council should’ve put this as a separate vote rather than cram it in with the other stuff. I don’t know of anybody in the area that’s in favor of this.
