Selma looking to its past to build business future, revitalize downtown: 'Don't think we can fail'
SELMA, N.C. (WTVD) -- In a county fueled by breakneck construction and new developments, Selma, North Carolina is looking to its historic past to build out its future.
In the small Johnston County town, a team of investors and town leaders are breathing new life into the historic downtown -- repurposing previously idle properties and trying to reimagine was Selma can be.
"After looking at many other places, coming into Selma we realized this is where we wanted to be," said Jeb Jeutter, a retired Raleigh attorney who partnered with his neighbor, Cliff Zinner, to start B2B Selma LLC -- an investment entity working to reinvigorate downtown Selma.
Jeb and Cliff's most recent project is The Vault by Hatchet Brewing, a taproom in the former Town Hall -- a historic, 1922 building on Raiford Street. Hatchet Brewing is based in Southern Pines but collaborated with the two investors on the project, which tries to capitalize on the unique flourishes of the 102-year-old space.
"The opportunity is when you peel back the carpeting inside and you say "oh, terazzo", and you see the two-story ceilings inside the building," said Jeutter. "So that's what you see, the bones."
Selma's Mayor, Byron McAllister, says he's been blown away by the recent transformation downtown -- a reinvigoration bolstered by new investors like Cliff and Jeb.
"There are a lot of dilapidated buildings that a couple of years ago you would have walked into and thought there was no way to rehabilitate them," said McAllister.
That's not the case any longer. McAllister, who's been mayor for three years, said he wants to be a steward for new business growth while honoring the town's historic business backbone.
"Keep a small town feel while having urban amenities for a growing population and with the amount of business folks that are willing to come and invest in Selma, I don't think we can fail," he said.
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Two doors down the street from Vault, Kim Wooten's seen it all in Selma, from her days working as a child at her father's store Selma Jewelry to taking it over full-time.
"It's exciting to meet new people and to hear about what their ideas and their dreams are," she said.
For Kim, the recent investment's been a full circle moment for a downtown that thrived when she was a girl -- and that she hopes is finding that same life anew.
"I remember what it was when I was a little girl and even when I was a teenager," she said. "And then I remember an empty building. And now it's going to be something beautiful again."
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