After sitting vacant for more than two years, the Razook's building in Pinehurst is beginning to show signs of life again.

Work to renovate the building has begun, as part of a $3 million project by Pinehurst Specialty Retail -- made up of Oceanico Resorts, Atlanta-based The Forum Development Group and Terry Brown and his wife, Susan Clift Brown.

Terry Brown said Wednesday that the interior of the building has been gutted and that work with heavy equipment was under way late last week to demolish the back half of the building. A new addition is being added to the rear of the building that will back up to Market Square.

"Our plan is to go back in and complete the necessary interior work," he said, "and we are going to be adding a connecting building to that that will run all the way to Market Square on the other side."

Demolition is expected to take a week and a half.

For more on this story, see Sunday's print edition of The Pilot.