1899 hardware store building for sale in bustling NC downtown. Here’s the price
The iconic 1899 D.E. Turner hardware store building in bustling downtown Mooresville is for sale for $2.75 million, after its longtime owners said it was finally time to sell.
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Whether a hardware store continues to operate in the building would be up to the buyer, Jeremy Katz, a Realtor helping market the landmark property, told The Charlotte Observer Friday night.
The store has continuously operated at 111 N. Main St., since David Elmer Turner opened the business as a hardware and general supply store. It’s across from the town’s railroad depot, which now houses the Mooresville Arts gallery.
Son D.E. Turner Jr. later ran the store for decades, and when he died in 1981, Jack Moore and his family took over. Moore worked there since he was a teen. He died last year at age 93.
The store sold everything from nails to local honey. Jack Moore’s knowledge of the hardware trade was a selling point, but so was his welcoming personality.
Donna Lane, Moore’s daughter, said the family knew it was time to sell.
“It’s awful, and still hard to believe,” Lane told Lake Norman Publications about listing the property.
The 10,000-square-foot site includes the 2,632-square-foot hardware store with its 17-foot ceilings, mezzanine level, full second floor and basement with seven-foot ceilings, according to the listing.
One of North Carolina’s oldest operating freight elevators connects the four levels, the listing states.
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The property also has a 3,608-square-foot warehouse in back with an interior loading dock, two loading doors and 11-foot ceilings, accessible from the storefront and East Center Avenue.
“Properties like the D.E. Turner Hardware building are the cornerstones of our town’s identity,” Lake Norman Realty president Abigail Jennings said in a news release announcing the listing.
“Historic preservation is vital, not just to save bricks and mortar, but to maintain the authentic character of our community,” Jennings said. “By shepherding these significant landmarks into their next chapter, we ensure that the soul of Mooresville remains intact while fostering sustainable growth and economic vitality for future generations.”
The store is stocked from floor to ceiling with every item you can imagine, and then some.
In a PBS North Carolina documentary, Moore mentioned the Lodge cast ironware, electric and hand-cranked ice cream freezers, cornbread pans and whisk brooms.
He said it was the only job he ever had.
“I just grew up here and know a lot of people in Mooresville, and they know me,” Moore said. “A lot of these old stores are gone. It’s very hard to keep up with new stuff and make a living from it. It’s sort of a dying breed.”
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