Changes underway at some Uptown Lexington businesses
Greg Myers, manager of the Construction Materials Habitat Restore at 4 E. Third Ave. in Lexington, stands with cabinet displays and doors in the background. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Two uptown Lexington businesses are relocating and expanding, while another has a new name and owner and one large anchor store in the district has closed.
Bristle + Pine, at 114 S. Main St., closed at the end of July. Bobbie and Bradley Key opened the business that sold home décor, hand-painted home furnishings and women’s accessories in March 2021.
The store received Uptown Lexington’s New Business of the Year Award for 2021 but more recent sales declines and family obligations made the Bradleys decide to close the shop. The Bradleys have five children and have begun fostering children as well. Bobbie Key plans to continue painting and offer classes in other businesses, including a lesson at Pig City Books Aug. 28, and also possibly in a building on their home’s property near uptown Lexington.
Sedley Abercrombie, co-owner of Pig City Books, has moved the bookstore to 16 Court Square in uptown Lexington for more space for the growing business. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Pig City Books, owned by mother-daughter duo Sedley and Emma Abercrombie, expanded and relocated their book store to 16 Court Square (look for the bright pink door) in June. The business, which was started in 2021 with pop-up shops and an e-commerce site, moved into two rooms in the back of Clara Jane’s Boutique at 21 S. Main St. in January of this year.
“Business exceeded our expectations,” Sedley Abercrombie noted. “We’ve now been able to expand our inventory and have in-store events.”
The new location has 1,400 square feet of space in six different rooms, or about five times the space of the previous location, Abercrombie said.
Different rooms house books for adults including new releases and best-sellers, young adults, North Carolina and local interest books, picture books, children’s books and a flexible space room for author visits and book signings as well as special events such as art classes. That space
is also used for adult and children’s book club meetings. “I think people have really missed having a bookstore,” she said. “We’ve had a great response. People seem to be excited we’re here.”
The book store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Another expansion and relocation in the uptown district is the Construction Material Habitat ReStore, which opened at 4 E. Third Ave. in July.
Marjorie Parker, Lexington Area Habitat for Humanity’s executive director, said the nonprofit organization owns the building and has leased it out since the main Habitat ReStore, which sells home furnishings and home decor, moved from 4 E. Third Ave. to 221 S. Main St. in 2019.
Parker said building materials have been in part of the main Restore and in a warehouse. “But we had so much we needed to expand,” she said, noting potential customers couldn’t see the materials in a warehouse.
The Construction Material ReStore sells new and used cabinets, windows, doors, tiles, carpet, countertops, sinks and lighting fixtures. The materials are donated by local suppliers such as G.W. Smith Lumber Co. and Lowe’s as well as individuals who have leftover materials after completing renovation projects, Parker said.
Buyers include small contractors, do-it-yourself renovators and craftspeople. Greg Myers, manager of both ReStore locations, noted local artisans buy tile to make mosaics, turn window frames into picture frames and take beveled glass from light fixtures to make new artworks.
The local Habitat organization’s offices are also now located in the building at 4 E. Third Ave. Habitat raises money through ReStore sales to help people build homes.
The hours for the Construction Material ReStore are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday The hours for the main ReStore remain from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
In other changes uptown, In Bloom Naturals at 22 S. Main St. has been sold to Apotheca, a regional plant medicine dispensary offering CBD, Delta 8, hemp, Kratom and other herbal remedies. Carolyn and Chris Fredette and Cole Goings opened In Bloom Naturals in January 2020 and announced its sale to Apotheca in June. Apotheca has more than 20 stores in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina, including those in Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Asheville.
Leah Vincent, the local store manager, said the new owners liked the uptown location as well as the town. She said the store will no longer carry spices and handbags, but will sell some of the same CBD products as In Bloom, such as 3 CHI and CBD MD brands. The store will also soon carry Apotheca brand products.
Current hours for Apotheca are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
