Boom Town: Carthage Seeing Flood of New Businesses
Jamie Masis, owner of Hot Mess, a new hair and tanning salon in downtown Carthage, styles the hair of Tamara Sarmadi.
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The mayor of Carthage sees the beginnings of a boom for his town.
“We have the new beauty salon, the new Japanese restaurant,” Mayor Lee McGraw said. “The new credit union office should be open by August. We will have Walmart Express, Bojangles’.
“The more places we have here that people want to go to, the more they will go to other places while they are here.”
Hot Mess, a hair and tanning salon, opened a month ago — its name an urban slang phrase for somebody in a state of disarray but having an undeniable attractiveness or beauty.
The term might apply to the county seat itself — many empty stores downtown, but Carthage seeming to draw a flood of commercial interest.
A new Hibachi Grill restaurant opened last week on Courthouse Square across from Fred’s. It’s been packed from the start.
“My wife and I ate there just the other night,” McGraw said. “The food is delicious.”
On U.S. 15-501, construction is starting on a new State Employees Credit Union center. Contractors will begin clearing land soon for the new Walmart Express expected to open in the fall. It will occupy a spot across one street from the Flying Tiger Chinese restaurant and across another from McDonald’s, near the Food Lion shopping center.
Another chain, Bojangles’, recently approached the county about buying land next to Hardee’s for a new restaurant near the intersection of N.C. 24-27 and U.S. 15-501. Some veterans groups objected to a restaurant being next door to the Veterans Memorial. That location would not bother McGraw.
“I am going to tell you, nobody I want to hang out with has any intention of not paying proper respect to our veterans,” McGraw said. “But the more things around that memorial, the more it will be seen. They didn’t put it way out in the country somewhere, but in Carthage, where it could be seen.”
McGraw expects 20 to 25 new jobs would come with Bojangles’ — and more with every new enterprise.
Another Carthage tract is under contract as the location for a new O’Reilly Auto Parts store, and the broker handling that sale is talking to other companies about pads on that property.
O’Reilly Auto Parts is the third largest auto parts chain in the country, nipping at the heels of AutoZone and Advance Auto.
Commercial real estate broker Bill Brower is handling the deal and says he expects everything to close by October, if not before.
“We’ve got a 140-day due diligence period,” Brower said. “The developers are encouraging me to sell pads around O’Reilly’s, so I’m talking to companies like restaurant chains to find tenant neighbors for O’Reilly’s. I think they are going to come off really well selling those pads off around O’Reilly’s.”
The company has nearly 3,500 stores nationwide — the closest in Sanford — and a distribution center in Greensboro. Their interest in Carthage is one sign of a growing wave, as Brower sees it.
“They’ve done their homework as far as the market goes,” he said. “What I am working on now for that piece has to do with things like stage one environmental studies, warranty deeds, zoning, confirmation letters, paid property tax bills — things like that that they just want to know about.”
He and Ed Lillard visited a Walmart Express just north of Albemarle.
“It is in a little town like Carthage, perhaps a little smaller — that’s the kind of town they decided to go into,” Brower said. “We went into that store. It is really nice and clean. We were impressed with that store. The prices are the same prices you get if you go to one of those Super Walmart stores. That’s a big deal.”
Brower has other properties in Carthage under contract and has been looking for more.
“Now’s the time!” Brower said. “I am excited about Carthage and am doing well there. It is on a lot of people’s radar screen right now, it seems like.”
Town Manager Carol Sparks sees Carthage’s location — where four highways meet and merge — as one thing attracting interest.
“We get phone calls just about every week,” Sparks said. “They ask about different locations. I think maybe the credit union coming has something to do with it. (N.C.) 24-27 is an extremely busy highway. So is (U.S.) 15-501. I’ve been talking to different developers for some time. These are major highways.”
They make Carthage an easy drive from the middle of Greensboro, Raleigh and Fayetteville — and not that far from Charlotte.
“It is an hour from here to RDU,” she said. “It takes less time to drive from here to Raleigh than from one side of Raleigh to the other. We have a lot more military families moving here, because it is an easy drive to the base. If you were on the other side of Fayetteville it could take you longer to get to Fort Bragg than it would from here. Once the credit union is built it is going to open up our highway commercial district out here on 15-501.”
Like McGraw, Sparks is happy about the new Japanese restaurant — another addition to a growing list of popular eating spots.
“I went when they opened,” Sparks said. “I took a guest Saturday night, and there wasn’t an empty table. I talked to the owner, and she said they had a wonderful first week.”
Flying Tiger’s owner Leon Zhang said his tables are crowded these days, and he has hopes for the three extra business spaces available in his new building — particularly once Walmart Express opens across the road.
“I think all this shows a lot of confidence in our location,” McGraw said. “First of all, mom-and-pops like this Japanese place are the heart and soul of our country. I love small businesses. Then you have three national chains that want Carthage. They do their homework. They do their market research and must know Carthage is on the upswing. I am so happy that it is going to go that way.”
Sparks could hardly be more in agreement.
“There is a boom in Carthage,” Sparks said. “I can’t help but feel that.”
Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or by email at jfchappell@gmail.com.
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Comments
Ideclare 11 months ago
"A new Hibachi Grill restaurant opened last week on Courthouse Square across from Fred’s. It’s been packed from the start." - What is the business name?
ZBI85 11 months ago
That would be "Hibachi Grill"
Bflat 11 months ago
Watch what happens when Wally Xpress, Bo's and others open.
cooldaddy 11 months ago
What does bflat want? She is always anti everything. What a miserable person. At least the wal-mart express will be one more place to purchase an enema.
Toda 11 months ago
Great for Mayberry USA. A boom for released inmates from the Gold Bar Hilton to visit and dine-in after jail house staples.
O' buy the way, did you know that the Mayor of Carthage, Lee McGraw, is employed by Southern Software, Inc.? Did you know his supervisors are none other than County Chair of the Moore County Board of Commissioners, Larry Caddell and Nick Picerno? Wonder how Mayor McGraw got the job of Mayor ~ yep, hand picked by guess who?
Cool you need to come up to speed before launching an attack on anyone on these boards. bflat has information that you are totally unaware, but perhaps should have knowledge of before another diatribe.
Toda 11 months ago
"Brower has other properties in Carthage under contract and has been looking for more.", one question Mr. Brower, is a tour of the center of town in store for new prospects? I'm sure new business owners will find the distance between the Gold Bar Hilton and the ball field across the street where children are at play, bods well for the perfect view for child molesters. Maybe upon release they will hurry out of Carthage not taking time for a "Hibachi Grill"?
DoubleHeroides 11 months ago
@Toda: While I respect that you have some deep seated concerns regarding the new detention center in Carthage and have been doing quite a bit of ‘research’ in your spare time I will caution you, much in the same way you just cautioned cooldaddy, not to slur Mr. Lee McGraw’s character by accusing him of being the lackey of the county commissioners. The voters of the Town of Carthage elected Mr. McGraw so unless you can show evidence of a conspiracy by the commissioners to place Mr. McGraw into his current position and also intend to accuse him and the county commissioners of voter fraud and rigging the election it seems to me that the people of this town want him here.
Bflat 11 months ago
Ah yes...Boom Town and so much energy being placed into bringing in business to cheap land and lots and lots of vacant buildings. Look at all the for rent, for lease signs in downtown Mayberry. BoJangles was going to go on the spot that Wally Xpress is now planned. Now Bo's is planned for "County Owned Land" that certain commissioners held illegal closed doors meetings. Sounds like a wonderful plan doesn't it? Town of Carthage headed by Lee McGraw is quick to encourage business in Carthage.
Is placing the Wally Express to back up to the Senior's Housing a good idea? Think of all the traffic and such in what is currently a quiet area at those apartments. The reason some developers will come to Carthage is because of cheap land and hardly any restrictions. The reason the huge Federal Sized JAIL is in Carthage is because ...."and we're going to expand the jail a little." Just stick in any building anywhere you want to and all is good...even on County Owned land.
@cooldaddy, I know more about what is going on in Carthage and the County for many, many years. It's out of my concern for the direction that things are taking, the ongoing conflicts of interest, and the voters lined up voting mindlessly without knowing all the issues and candidates. That's why there is a big ongoing mess that will cost taxpapers a big bundle.
teufelhunden 11 months ago
I think the hibachi grill is a sister restaurant of Susa sushi & hibachi next to staples in southern pines. I can tell you it's one of my favs.
xemrac 11 months ago
Carthage is quickly becoming the laughing stock of Moore County. If you don't believe it, take a ride through downtown. The new "mural" that looks as if pre-school class painted and the dilapidated and empty store fronts speaks volumes to this fact. If it were not for the fact that Carthage is the county seat...then it would have completely dried up years ago. Add to that a city manager that is literally laughed about by other cities in Moore County what should we expect? Nothing. P.S: Mayor McGraw may work for Southern Software but he has always shown a deep honest desire to better this town. He simply needs support to set the ship right...and a difficult decision concerning leadership is at the forefront, but one that needs to be made. Good luck....
herecomesthescience 11 months ago
Sadly Carthage can't have its cake and eat it too. If you want to stay "Mayberry" you need to realize that by stopping growth and being scared of change that your town will eventually dry up. Carthage has the town seat, and that is about it. What will (and is) happening is that if you don't want new commercial development, you get development that feeds off the one thing that does produce income and jobs there...jail, court, and bail bondsmen.
Bflat 11 months ago
It was McGraw that had someone do that mural "that looks as if pre-school class painted..." He was also present when the 2 storefronts on McReynolds were painted in the windows where for rent with sentiment for a toy shop or bakery. It will be difficult to get the town beautified with all the landlords not able to rent their property.
Toda 11 months ago
DoubleHeroides :
I have spoken with Lee on the telephone while he was at work. He is a good guy in my opinion, just caught up in the middle of political strategies and C&P's games to set in concrete their goals for managing this county - their way on their time.
No where did I say anything about " fraud and rigging the election". More innuendo thrown out there as fodder for the fools who can't think for themselves.
Toda 11 months ago
xemrac => "He simply needs support to set the ship right..."
BTW ~ the democrats were in office when that ugly monstrosity was built, and to think they razed the old hotel for three floors of concrete.
Bflat 11 months ago
Now that old Hotel brings back memories. My Grandpa and I used to visit there for breakfast when I was knee high. It was the first time I'd ever seen double screen doors at a front entrance to a business. Imagine that!
The protest of building the "New" Courthouse prompted visions of Disneyland and a cartoon was published that depicted the architecture in Disney style. Everyone said that was the wrong place to put it because it would eventually have nowhere to expand and parking would become a problems.
Arthur Barber remarked to a group of Cub Scouts that were touring the old Fire Station that the New Courthouse was the tallest building in town and the longest ladder on the fire trucks would not reach the top. One little boy asked what would happen if there were a fire. Arthur didn't blink and said "Them people will just have to jump out from up there!"
Bojangles was going to buy the spot that the Wally Xpress will now go. Wonder what happened to all that? Sounds a little strange but they must not have needed all that land on Monroe St.
When court is in session and you need to get something at Fred's...well, good luck. There is no parking in downtown Carthage when court is in session. It has become a court and JAIL town. When detainees are released they go to businesses to use the phone. There are people hanging out on the sidewalks waiting to go in for visitation.