Built in 1890, I had my inspectors hat on looking at this Main Street building next door to Davis Furniture. It once was several stories high but a fire took care of that. The hardscape (sidewalk design), bench and maturing tree in front of the building make a lovely setting. This wonderful curb appeal is one of the reasons I love Main Street. You can see in this photo, however, that this quiet space is diminished by this unsightly sore on the face of the building.
Because I personify a historical downtown building like this, I see this terrible injustice as a heartache. It is like looking in the mirror on a bad hair day and knowing you are not presentable. Do you stay home, grab a baseball cap, or head to the shower? In the case of this facade at 157 and 155, cosmetic surgery is essential. At great expense, new windows have been installed, but I feel sure these facades live with a constant headache.
Looking in the window of 155 S.E. Main, I heard a voice behind me say, “Can I help you” What to my wandering eye should appear but Q. Danielle Jones. He is definitely a Stepheny moment. Raised in Tarborro, he worked at Pfizer for 15 years before meeting Rocky Mount’s Troy Davis on Facebook. Q gestured with his hand around his business space, “I had no plans for anything like this. It was Troy who pushed me.” You must hear this story from Q, who says, “Troy is a Godsend.”
Q, is a Custom Clothier who in 1998 turned a hobby into a business. It was a business that had taken over his home. He needed a store front. Q is a home decorator, dabbles in Architecture and designs clothes.
I design for ordinary people is Q’s by-line. This is to dismiss the notion that exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design is only for wealthy people. After attending The Main Street Conference in Goldsboro in March, I am into elevating a by-line to say something better. I reacted to the word ordinary. How about this… Luxury for All stating that high-quality, luxurious clothing is accessible. Do you think a change like this is helpful?
After looking at three pieces of art hung on a saved section of the original brick, I asked this delightful, talented man what he wanted the interior of his business to look like. Main Street will be enhanced when this dream becomes a reality and little details like, paint the base boards, are finished.
“I want it to look like an art gallery in the Meat Packing upscale area of Manhattan”
Main Street Rocky Mount 