Morganton wins Main Street Award, recognizes local champions

Morganton was one of eight communities in the state recognized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce during the North Carolina Main Street Awards on March 9, 2022. The property at 202 S. Sterling St., which houses local businesses Thornwell Books and VanNoppen Marketing, and six apartments upstairs, won in the Best Historic Rehabilitation Project category.

“Thornwell Properties, LLC put a tremendous amount of effort into revitalizing this property, and it has quickly become one of the favorite spots in Downtown Morganton,” said Morganton Main Street Manager Abby Nelson. “We are very glad to see them win some hard-earned recognition for their efforts.”

The awards were presented virtually during the March 9 ceremony by N.C. Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders, Assistant Secretary of Rural Development Kenny Flowers, and Director of the North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center Liz Parham.

“Congratulations to these communities for their leadership and award-winning projects that enhance the vitality of their Main Streets,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders. “Each award winner represents the ingenuity that North Carolinians possess and their ability to create jobs and spur investment that helps improve their local economies.”

The 202 S. Sterling St. building dates back more than a century, when it initially opened in 1919 as the Burke Garage Co., Burke County’s first Ford dealership. The building then became home to the Giles Motors Ford dealership in 1966, and later became Cole’s Automotive, which stayed at the location until it moved in 2019.

With Thornwell Properties’ efforts to revitalize and restore the structure, it ensures the building will continue to be home to local businesses for many years to come.

Morganton’s Main Street champions were also recognized during the virtual March 9 ceremony, with the owners of Craft’d — Mark Koziel, Maryann Koziel, & Kris Schum —being named Morganton’s Main Street Champions. Craft’d is located at 108 W. Union St.

The Koziels and Schum were among 33 Main Street Champions recognized this year, and join the ranks of 837 champions recognized by the state to date since 2000.

“Main Street Champions are the key to success in downtown revitalization. They possess courage to move downtown forward; they fight for positive change and do that with creativity and innovation; and they actively get things done, while staying focused on the downtown’s economic development strategies,” said Liz Parham, Director of the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center at Commerce.