when there was not much in the way of conveniences families expect these days. She laughs as she recalls how residents cheered over the opening of their own McDonald’s restaurant. Spell and her husband have worked
in real estate for more than 30 years and have watched Hope Mills grow up, in a sense, to what it is today. Yet Spell is proud to say that the town has kept its backyard ambiance even as she counts the number of businesses that have opened in the last year with pleasure. “There is a grand opening almost
every week,” she said, “and I try to be at every one of them.” But she can still drive down Hope Mills Road and wave a friendly hand at almost every business owner, most of whom she knows. Tuttimelon’s owners, brothers David
and Mike Ye, saw the growth in Hope Mills and reasoned that the town would be a perfect match for their store. With a location right near the Millstone movie theater, they’ve found a ready audience for their nearly endless array of gelatos, frozen yogurts and toppings. Those quaint downtown streets
have begun to swell with traffic as new businesses move in and subdivisions expand. Good schools coupled with new businesses are drawing in flocks of young families, businesses like Village Style Shop & Day Spa, a full-service salon, or Tuttimelon, which has taken frozen treats to a new level with flavors like pomegranate, taro and key-lime pie. Amenities that once required a drive to Fayetteville are right here.
Fayettevillians just might
find themselves driving south for a day of pampering, a round of Putt-Putt, or to take
in a movie on the big screen. Hope Mills residents, while proud of
where they came from, can be excited about where they are going.CV
48 | Oct/Nov • 2010
