Ask J.D. Teachey about downtown Wallace, and he will tell you the history of all the stores. He’ll tell you how at 15 he worked at the ticket window of the movie theater that was on W. Main Street, he’ll tell you about the department stores and five and dimes, but mostly, he’ll tell you about the amount of traffic there always was in downtown Wallace. “The street would be full of people on a Saturday!”, J.D. explained, “Everybody came to Wallace to shop!” And J.D. is passionate about downtown Wallace becoming a thriving center for commerce again. The shops will be different as will the customers- but he believes that with perseverance, and with the efforts of the Wallace Revitalization Committee, downtown can be a strong retail center and be one of the things that attracts people to the area. It’s been 10 years since J.D. bought the Cavenaugh’s Jewelry store. The building used to house a five &dime on the right, and the jewelry store was on the left, but it has since been opened into one space. For years, it was THE place that brides-to-be would register for their china, flatware and crystal- but that business is not as strong as it once was since we have become a more casual society. And as fashions have changed, Cavenaugh’s has changed with it. The store has recently been repainted and reset, and looks amazing! Kudos to J.D.’s daughter Karen and her friend Leah Wallace for an exceptional job of redesigning the space. Some items have gone, some will stay, and some will be added. Staying are the hundreds of Christopher Radko Ornaments. J.D. boasts that the collection is one of the largest in Eastern N.C. The Brighton Jewelry and Leather lines are also staying, as is the Arthur Court Serve Ware and the most popular china patterns. The store carries Madame Alexander Dolls, and will retain several china patterns that remain popular. The extensive crystal selection will also stay. The Christmas selections include Steinbach Nutcrackers and Dept. 56 in addition to the Radko Ornaments.
As for what is yet to come- we’ll need to wait till after January for that answer. Karen will be going to Atlanta then, and will be choosing new merchandise lines for the shop.
The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m., and on most days you’ll be greeted by Miss Patty Smith- or stop in on Saturdays and J.D. will tell you stories about the way Wallace used to be!
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