Having grown up in West Point, Bruce Simpson was tired of driving down Main Street to see door after door of downtown buildings closed.
Now Old Growth Holdings, a company Simpson founded with two other local partners, is renovating a strip of downtown buildings with hopes that new tenants could at least be a start to reversing the trend.
Aiming to do more than simply fill empty storefronts, Simpson hopes the project can spur other citizens to invest in downtown properties.
“When you drive through town, every door is shutting every other year,” Simpson said. “It just needed to have somebody just take it by the reins and just show them what can happen when you invest in it and select good tenants rather than just people that want a storage building or something.”
The four buildings on East Main Street – each built between 1885 and 1890 – have had various tenants over the years, Simpson said, though most recently two were owned by a company called Nu Look, one sat vacant and the fourth was an appliance store. That building, originally opened as an opera house, reopened seven months ago as Mockingbird Lane Antique Market after Old Growth Holdings renovated the property.
Simpson, who also owns Silver Leaf Construction, said renovations for the other three buildings include upgrading the roofs, plumbing and electrical systems while restoring the original hardwood floors and walls. There will be some slight exterior work, but it will remain true to the historical facades, he said.
“All those buildings are kind of in disrepair because … all the old owners, they didn’t want to invest in it,” Simpson said. “… We’re trying to bring them back to keep the history alive of all the buildings.”
Simpson said there are already three tenants lined up for the buildings, including a tanning company, a gym and a health and wellness retailer. He intends for all of the work – estimated to be a $750,000 investment – to be finished and tenants moved in by January 2027.
“We have big plans for this town because we believe it’s going to grow,” Simpson said. “We want to invest in the future.”
Simpson said he also hopes the venture inspires other citizens to invest in downtown West Point. That’s a sentiment shared by Ray Hamilton, owner of Anthony’s Market.
Just up East Main Street, Hamilton is working with Arkansas-based Flyway Brewing to open a location in the historic Justice Company Building, just across the street from Anthony’s. The roughly 9,000 square-foot space will include both a brewery and a restaurant. There will also be a kid-friendly outdoor space, he said.
“We’ve had construction going for a while, basically clearing the building out, stripping it down to its original floors and walling, and so now we’re about to start putting up actual walls and equipment and things like that,” Hamilton told The Dispatch on Friday. “We’re thinking Jan. 15 is probably going to be the opening day.”
Hamilton hopes the microbrewery will help drive more traffic downtown, particularly from drivers passing through Highway 45 Alternate. Adding other attractions, he said, like boutiques and more kid-friendly spaces, will help bring even more consumers to the area.
“(West Point) is beautiful,” Hamilton said. “It’s got a strong soul to it, and I think it has all the potential in the world. We’ve just got to work together and provide these opportunities to showcase what we can do.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
