Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/192798
"The building was built in 1965 and it was an absolutely gorgeous place," said Wright. "It had been used for a number of businesses, but most recently was operated as a series of bars." Johnson and Wright understand the importance of mixed use downtown and the importance of entertainment venues, but they are also advocates of responsible business ownerships and community partnerships. That wasn't the case with the bars that operated in the building. They saw the effects of the bars on downtown with fights in the parking lots, beer cans littering the street and graffiti on their beloved historic buildings. "It was really destroying the feeling of security that we cherish in downtown," said Johnson. "One night an alarm went off in the Rainbow Room, and we came downtown and there were police everywhere and people pouring out of the bars, fighting." Shortly after that, the ATF shut down the bar in 2009 and the ladies purchased the building on July 1, 2010. Unlike the previous rehab, they paid others to do the work, but they lovingly oversaw it and faithfully restored it to the way it had been when BB&T operated in it. The restoration took about eight months and included putting new roofs on three sections of the building, scraping black paint off of the skylights, tearing down drywall that covered beautiful wood work and classic glass work. Three months into the process of the turning the establishment into another event facility, they had already booked their first event. They noted that the people throwing the party were so impressed with what had been done at that point that they booked the unfinished facility. The first event was on Feb. 11. The three-story facility is divided into several event spaces, with three catering kitchens. The first floor is divided into two separate meeting spaces, with the main ballroom facing Hay Street. The second floor has several smaller meeting spaces. A signature component of the facility is the Zen garden, which ties the front portion of the building with the back. The garden, which was an original feature of the building, was lovingly restored by Wright and Johnson. Earlier this year, the third floor was opened as Level 3, an offshoot of Moonlight Communications. The state-of-the-art video studio is a multi-use facility that complements their professional business, but also their event business. "It's the only studio of its kind in the city," said Wright. The partners considered themselves blessed in that their profession enables them to tell the community's story, but that their passion also helps them shape their community. "One of our mottoes is to think and dream big," said Wright, reflecting on the past 20 years of business and downtown preservation. "You never know what the universe will put in your path, you've got to be open to it.." JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. FTCC Early Childhood Education Center A 5-Star Facility that serves children from age 6 wks through age 5 Current Openings for Four Year Olds! Center is open 7am-5:30pm Monday - Friday and follows the FTCC calendar for holiday and other closings. Contact Stacy Halvorson, Asst. Director, for cost and enrollment information. (910) 678.8503 www.faytechcc.edu/childrens_center/ Education for Life WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 16-22, 2013 UCW 15