The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.

Uptown Wadesboro has a unique relationship with U.S. Hwy. 74. Because of the way the S-curve leading into town is configured, motorists wishing to stay on the highway actually have to make a sharp right turn. While it’s a fairly obvious maneuver and I doubt many people accidentally keep going straight onto Salisbury Street, it is also an opportunity that we could do a better job capitalizing on. 

As a gateway into town, Salisbury Street has its challenges. First of all, the visuals are not especially inviting. Wadesboro Lumber & Barn is fine – they do a good job maintaining their building – and the newly erected barn quilt wall is an awesome addition. But the other buildings immediately off the highway seem to be a missed opportunity. 

The building that appears to be a former gas station, for instance, is in a spectacular spot to pick up “easy-on-easy-off” highway traffic. I suppose that’s why it was once a gas station. I understand that the nature of gas stations has changed and this sort of stand-alone shop wouldn’t work for that purpose these days, but what about a gift shop selling nostalgia-related products like metal signs, branded knick-knacks, T-shirts, etc.? You could call it the Last Chance Garage and paint the facade like a ’50s vintage “dino” filling station (avoiding any trademark issues, of course). 

The larger brick building with the wonderful industrial-style pane glass windows would make an excellent outlet store for, oh I don’t know, maybe the top-quality work and outdoor boots made right up the road in Mt. Gilead, and the faded “Seed” sign on the wall of the building facing the street could be refurbished as a nod to the community’s agricultural heritage.

These things take money, of course, and it’s understandable that the property owners are reluctant to make a significant investment in just a beautification project. But if the new REV Uptown building, Arts Council expansion and sandwich shop are as successful as it appears they will be, maybe the property owners will see the value in upgrading their space.