Old-Timey Downtown Storefront ~ circa 1900 ~ FOR SALE in Downtown Salisbury!

One of the last true remaining general stores* in North Carolina is FOR SALE!  Greg Rapp ~ (704) 213-6846 ~ will get you connected to the BEST location in Salisbury for your business!

No matter where you live, you probably pass buildings from days-gone-by on your daily commute. If not buildings, then maybe signs, whether they are on billboards or sides of buildings. All of these items harken back to an earlier time; a time when the area was more vibrant. Now these reminders of yesteryear, often replaced by suburban shopping malls, a changing population, or economics, these store fronts and signs are falling into our distant memories. Often. . . but not in Salisbury North Carolina, where preservation and restoration thrive!

Picture a general store built over 100 years ago with high tin ceilings, wood floors characterized by time, and original shelves full of items that are as useful and decorative today as they were "back in the day." The long-standing general store at 126 E. Innes Street* in Salisbury, North Carolina, has forever been a source of new, old, and original merchandise. And now this fabulous building, built before the trolley system traversed the streets of downtown Salisbury, is FOR SALE. You have to see it to believe it!



Currently the Okey Dokey & Co. General Store, this 8300 (above grade) square-foot brick building, circa 1900, on the main drag from Interstate I-85 into downtown Salisbury, has enormous possibilities.

The large, open, first floor is 4130 square feet of open space. Restrooms are located on this level.

The second floor houses 3 offices, a bathroom, and one large nearly 80' x 32' area, that at one time was an indoor roller rink!  This second story space could foresee-ably be converted to apartments or living space. 

126 E. Innes Street has been most notably a general store for most of its 114 years of life. It has most recently been the Okey-Dokey General Store, and before that, O.O. Rufty's General Store. Located in the Downtown Salisbury Historic District, it has been a tourist attraction complete with creaky wooden floors, old fashioned candy jars, hoop cheese, and glass bottle drinks including Nehi and Crush.  

This store has been the heartbeat of 'The Square' for some time (the 100-blocks to the east/west/north/south of the main intersection of Main & Innes Streets in Salisbury is known as The Square). The general store was the gathering place and the center of activity in days gone past . . . and in Salisbury, it still is.

The storefront at 126 E. Innes Street has a fun history, as one might expect from a turn-of-the-century downtown building.  In addition to its life as a general store, the building used to house a roller rink on its second floor. Back in the day, entrepreneurs often found 'interesting' uses for their second story spaces. The historic Fifty-Fifty building on E. Bank street used to host 'Bare Knuckle Boxing' in the depression, and there were a few Burlesque theaters in town too! Items were purchased from O.O. Rufty's for the movie 'The Color Purple' to create a general store set. The general store in the movie, often thought to be O.O. Rufty's, was modeled after the Salisbury general store.

The full basement is dry and usable, offering the owner another 4100+ square feet of storage, or other, space. (One of Downtown Salisbury's shops houses not only retail space in their large basement, but has a small wine bar!)


The total square footage for all 3 floors, including the basement, is 12,390. That's a lot of retail and storage space . . . located on East Innes St. that sees approximately a 22,000 car count per day.

There is a parking area to rear, and next to one of the City's nicely refinished municipal parking lots that features lighting and plantings. 

Businesses and business owners in Downtown Salisbury NC get support from Downtown Salisbury Inc., a non-profit organization formed for just that reason ~ to support the downtown area, implementing programs and activities that support vitality in the downtown. 

The City of Salisbury additionally offers support in the form of MSD grants (Municipal Service District) and Innes Street Grants. The City is also working on an incentive program to support the development of living spaces in the second stories along Salisbury's downtown streets.

In an era where historic buildings and community icons** are quickly disappearing from the landscape ~ from general stores to barber shops to theatres ~ this can be your opportunity to preserve and be a part of North Carolina’s cultural heritage. 


The general store at 126 E. Innes Street, Salisbury NC is for sale ~ at just $275,000 – and offers both you and your future customers a wonderful backward glance at the commerce and family enterprise that once existed in every North Carolina town. Call Greg Rapp to take a tour of your new business space in the best location in Downtown Salisbury!



126 INNES STREET EAST Salisbury, NC 28144
$275,000
MLS #: C56243

Greg Rapp
Realtor® 
Wallace Realty 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
704 636 2021 Office www.RealestateSalisbury.net 
www.RealestateSalisbury.com 
www.GregRapp.WallaceRealty.com

* The MLS listing is for the building only. Please inquire about the sale of the general store business itself: Greg Rapp (704) 213-6846.

** Photographer Mike Lassiter spent six years traveling across the state of North Carolina photographing the historic buildings and community icons that were quickly disappearing from the landscape. The result is an indispensable guide to North Carolina’s cultural heritage – Our Vanishing Americana : A North Carolina Portrait - beautifully photographed and accompanied by Lee Grant’s entertaining essays, each chapter offers a wonderful backward glance at the commerce and family enterprise that once existed in every North Carolina town. Order a copy of this beautiful hard-cover book from the Literary Bookpost, 110 S. Main Street, Salisbury NC - (704) 630-9788


 

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