Thank you for your interest and for joining us. The vintage photo on our home page was taken in 1948 in downtown Fuquay.  It pictures businessman Joseph ‘Mack’  Mitchell strutting across Main Street with his Mitchell Chevrolet building in the the background. Before we get too far into the renovation of this awesome building into new retail space available in downtown Fuquay-Varina, I would like to take pause and dedicate this first blog entry (my first ever) to 1948 and to ‘Mack’ Mitchell and his family.

I’m not sure what it is about this town, but I am enraptured by the details of it’s history. As I write this, the Fuquay Springs Teacherage also comes to mind. That building was purchased and converted  from the Charles Strickland residence to a Teacherage by Wake County Schools around 1945 (only a year before ‘Mack’  began construction on his building) and remained so until 1968. It now serves as small office space for lease in Fuquay-Varina. It is on the National Registry of Historic Places, has been designated a Wake County Landmark and is a 2006 winner of the Anthemion Award for commitment to excellence in historic preservation in Wake County. While Mary and I are immensely proud of that project, there are so many facts about it not captured and recorded that can add to the essence of that building in that place during that time.

World War II had ended and the mood of our country and of our Town must have been absolutely electric. Many readers experienced it (born in 1958 I did not).  Buat around that same time, Joseph ‘Mack’ Mitchell began building the Mitchell Chevrolet dealership - the first one in southern Wake County. We’re talking headline news here! One of our goals in this blog is to capture - as much as possible - the essence of that building, in that place, during that time. What are some details about the building or it prescence in Fuquay-Varina that you can share. Did you, or your Daddy or Grandaddy buy a Mitchell Chevrolet? Did you know someone who worked there? What was going on in your life at that time? Let’s share.

Our hope is also that this blog will branch out and reach those with a variety of other interests. What are your thoughts on this project and how it relates to downtown Fuquay-Varina revitalization? This will be the first-ever bujilding to incorporate renewable energy in downtown Fuquay-Varina. Tell us about your interest in or experience with green or renewable energy projects. Personally, I feel that it is projects like this that wioll help to lift us out of our current economic problems. If President Obama want to hold up an example of projects on Main Street across America, he can visit the old Mitchell Chevrolet building in downtown Fuquay-Varina. What do you think?

In this blog we will keep you posted on the progress of changes that ’The Mitchell’ building is about to undergo. Butg along the way we hope that you and others who follow the project can chime in with your own commentary. Let’s talk.