Upgrading Altavista: A Local Couple’s Quest for Small Town Revitalization
Issue: July 2010 by Johanna Calfee in Architecture, Engineering & Construction, Inside The Magazine
Dale Moore is no stranger to revitalizing old buildings and homes. As the founder of Moore’s Electrical and Mechanical Construction, Inc., and Moore’s at Home in Altavista, VA, his companies have been specializing in HVAC, piping, electrical, plumbing and residential service and repairs since 1985. But when Dale and his wife, Lisa, decided to take on two projects of their own on Main Street in downtown Altavista, they soon learned that Dale’s years of experience would not only come in handy—they would be essential to bringing their old buildings back to life.
Now mainstays of the downtown scene, the Moore’s two projects—The Café Shoppes and the General Store and Inn on Main Street—first started as mere ideas five years ago when Altavista partnered up with the Main Street Program.
“We like to be a part of the community…it’s where we live. We love Altavista. It’s been our home since 1978,” Dale said of their decision to revitalize buildings in their hometown.
In 2006, they bought their first renovation property at 600 Main Street, an old 1953 bank building that was once home to the Campbell County Bank. The space soon went through a complete remodel to create a suitable space for the Café Shoppes, which now boasts a Panera Bread style café called Main Street Café, and an adjoining gift shop.
“The challenge is taking a building and utilizing what it has,” Lisa said. “For example, the old bank building that houses the café has a vault in it and obviously removing it would be a major ordeal. So it’s taking things like that and working with them, not around them.”
“That’s the challenge, but also the fun part,” Dale added.
While the Moore’s were able to complete much of the work themselves, they also implemented the benefits of the Main Street Program and Altavista on Track (AOT), which is the “community development arm of the Town,” according to AOT’s website.
“The Main Street Program in any locality will help you with exterior design of your building, and in our area, they had a matching grant up to $10,000 to help with that exterior work,” Dale said. “So, if you spent $20,000 improving the exterior [of a building], they give you $10,000 back.”
Incentives like these were part of the reason the Moore’s say they were so satisfied with the outcome of the Café Shoppes, which were completed in March of 2007. So satisfied were they, in fact, that they decided to tackle yet another revitalization project when the building at 534 Main Street became available in June 2008.
“The General Store was built in 1934 and it was a drugstore and several different things over the years. It was closed when we got it and in bad shape,” Dale said.
Without a clear vision for what it would become, the Moore’s first started on outside renovations to the building while taking the time to visit other Main Street communities for ideas. Lisa says she noticed that many of those places had a general store and from there, the idea developed to put one in the downstairs level of their building.
“The General Store and Inn is like going back to the ‘40s or ‘50s with the atmosphere you might find in a general store of that age and era,” Dale said.
“We have things like Homestead milk, which is old-fashioned milk in a bottle, Life is Good products and candy in a barrel,” Lisa added, describing the store’s ambiance.
Upstairs, the couple came up with the idea for a small inn, which now houses three rooms designed to accommodate two people apiece. With a regular rate of $95 a night for two of the rooms, and $105 a night for the Commonwealth Room, which offers a pull-out sofa in addition to the bed, the Inn is priced to accommodate a business traveler or out-of-town visitor’s budget. And for first timers, Dale offers an extra incentive.
“First time visitors can stay for $80 a night,” Dale said.
All the furniture in the Inn is made out of 100-year-old recycled pine by Thomas Johnson Furniture in Lynchburg. Each room also boasts a 50-inch flat screen and a commercial-sized treadmill.
“There’s also a large walk-in shower in the bathroom,” Dale said. “The whole thing…it’s pretty classy.”
The General Store and Inn opened in December of 2008 and since then, both it and the Café Shoppes have become a staple in the small, downtown district.
“Main Street Café is a community meeting place, with business people coming in and working on their laptops there at lunch, and then the kids come in after school,” Lisa said. “In our gift shop, we have Willow Tree collectables, and we are the largest Pandora [Jewelry] and Vera Bradley shop in the area (other lines carried in the shop include Crabtree & Evelyn and Yankee Candle). People tell me that it’s nice to be able to find a gift here locally.”
While their stores may be a hub for activity, the Moore’s are quick to point out that many of the other stores around their buildings have also come to life in the past few years, as the benefits of the Main Street program and AOT take hold.
“There are things being done in the town—the upgrading of sidewalks and sewer systems—that are improving it,” Dale explained. “We have one of the best Main Street projects around. You won’t see the complete new look until late fall though.”
In the meantime, Dale and Lisa are busy once again with their latest project—Virginia Technical Institute (VTI), also in Altavista.
“Virginia Technical Institute is a 115,000-square-foot building that we bought and donated to a 501(c)(3) as VTI,” Dale, who serves as the Institute’s president, said. “It teaches all the trades: electrical, masonry, welding, plumbing, project management, construction…and it’s the only school in Virginia right now that concentrates entirely on the technical trades.”
In May, Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th District, announced that the school received a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities program in order help VTI purchase lab equipment and classroom furniture. The school is set to open for the upcoming fall semester.
Whether it be old, smaller buildings on Main Street or a large, industrial-turned-educational facility, the Moore’s say that each project they take on is about bettering the town of Altavista—a town they say they have great affection for.
“Being here, it’s like going back 30, 40 years ago…back in time,” Dale said. “And yet our town is very modern, but the people, the community, the trust that exists here…it’s just a nice community and good way of life over here.”