Our vision is to restore this mill as a place that honors God and serves Fayetteville: room for local businesses to make, sell and grow, at rents that fit our town, without pushing out the businesses already working here.
Early plans for what each building could become. Drag the 3D models to look around.
The wide-open steel building beside the mill becomes the district's place to play and stay: 8 duckpin bowling lanes, a pizza kitchen, an ice cream and coffee shop, family dining, an open floor with a live-music stage, and a covered deck by the music.
Guests come in through the mill tower and walk past the shops to the existing opening in the brick wall, so every visit passes the rest of the district.
The Bale House becomes a six-bay indoor golf club: simulator bays along the west wall, a lounge, viewing rail and putting green on the east side, and the existing finished office block reused for check-in, snacks, lessons and the restroom.
It's a self-serve, members-plus-hourly model built for year-round golf and leagues, with no alcohol as a draw. The building would be leased to a separate operating company funded by investors; Main Elk stays the landlord.
Original brick and wood floors stay. We restore around them, not over them.
Industry and retail share the site. The mill keeps working while it opens up.
The people of the Elk Cotton Mills are honored in their own words.
Small spaces, fair rent, and room for the businesses already here.
Secure the buildings, repair roofs and structure, keep the mill dry and safe.
Bring in makers and a market hall, filling the ground floors with making and selling.
Add food, drink and event space, places for Fayetteville to gather.
The full district open and working, inside and out.
Phase 1 begins now. The phases are goals, not commitments, and the order may shift as tenants and funding come together.
News from the mill when there's something worth sharing: restoration progress, new spaces, business openings and events, and the history we uncover. Never more than once a month. Unsubscribe anytime.
