THE ICONIC SPENCER’S INK FACTORY IN DOWNTOWN MOUNT AIRY HAS BEEN SOLD, AND THERE ARE SOME BIG PLANS ALREADY UNDERWAY FOR THE OLD BUILDING. CHRIS PETERSON TELLS US MORE ABOUT WHAT THE EXCITEMENT IS ALL ABOUT. IT’S A PROJECT TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING THAT HAS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN DOWNTOWN MOUNT AIRY EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN. MOUNT AIRY DRAWS SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND VISITORS EACH YEAR, WHETHER THEY’RE SHOPPING OR HAVING AN ICE CREAM CONE, FINDING A PLACE FOR THEM TO STAY HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE. IT’S A GAME CHANGER BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT HAD ANYTHING IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WILL CREATE THIS KIND OF EXCITEMENT. THE CITY BOUGHT THE OLD SPENCER’S INK FACTORY ON THE CORNER OF WILLOW AND OAK STREETS BACK IN 2014. SINCE THEN, CITY LEADERS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE HISTORIC BUILDING. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE GROUPS THAT LIKE TO DO DOWNTOWN HOTELS, AND MOUNT AIRY HAS A GREAT TOURIST POPULATION. UM, WE BRING IN SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE A YEAR TO VISIT OUR CITY. AND SO THEY DIDN’T HAVE REALLY ANYWHERE TO STAY DOWNTOWN WHEN THE CITY JOINED IN A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO TURN THE BUILDING INTO A HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER JUST BLOCKS AWAY FROM MAYBERRY, THE CONVENTION CENTER SEEMED TO BE A GREAT IDEA FOR SMALL CONVENTIONS THAT WANT TO COME TO A SMALL TOWN. ONCE, YOU KNOW, EVERY 5 OR 6 YEARS AND SEE DIFFERENT LIFE IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN THE BIG CITY AND THE BIG CONVENTIONS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS LIKE ANGELA SHAW, WHO OWNS MISS ANGELS HEAVENLY PIES, SAYS THE OLD SPENCER’S FACTORY REDEVELOPMENT IS SWEET NEWS. I WAS REALLY HAPPY. UM, I MEAN, MOUNT AIRY IS A TOURIST TOWN. UM, WE GET TOURISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, ACTUALLY, NOT ONLY WILL IT MEAN MORE FOLKS SHOPPING IN DOWNTOWN AND EATING GOODIES FROM HER BAKERY, IT WILL RESTORE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL THAT WHAT WAS ONCE A FIXTURE OF THE COMMUNITY. IT’S SAD WHEN YOU SEE AN EMPTY BUILDING THERE THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL FOR SO MANY YEARS. JUST DETERIORATE THAT FOR SOMEBODY TO COME IN AND MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL AND TURN THE BUILDING AROUND, I THINK FOR THE ECONOMY DOWNTOWN, MOUNT AIRY AND FOR THE WHOLE AREA, I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT. THE HOTEL IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN DECEMBER OF 2025, IN MOUNT