THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 TAG: 9609240276
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 89 lines
It was once a Lowe's home improvement center, but there's nothing remarkable about it now.
The roof is sagging. The blue aluminum paint is peeling. Many say it's an eyesore.
That may change.
Charles P. Hunter, a Virginia Beach businessman, wants to convert the old barnlike structure at 966 Portsmouth Blvd. into something he's calling The Marketplace.
In May, Hunter obtained an option to buy the property.
It would have an old country store motif; the front facade would have a rustic look with exposed wooden beams running throughout the interior. Antiques, gifts, wood carving and specialty items would be sold in a combination shopping mall-flea market.
``What if you took the concept of a mall and a flea market and you combined the two?'' Hunter asked.
``It would have a particular flair to it; it will be unique. Right now it's an eyesore, and you're going to have to make it a unique retail center.''
Talks with Hunter on the site have been strictly preliminary, said William E. Harrell, assistant city manager for development. Hunter has one investor and needs more to cover the estimated $950,000 needed to purchase and improve the barn, a veterinarian office and annex building.
Hunter won't disclose the investor.
Hunter broke his back and leg when he fell off a ladder this July. Propped up on pillows on his sofa, he makes business calls and works on his personal computer trying to get the project off the ground.
He envisions stripping the outer metal walls from the three-level 30,000-square-foot building and 10,000-square-foot annex. He would install insulated sky lights, a $40,000 sprinkler system, new plumbing and electrical systems, then section off the buildings for vendor booths and sales areas.
There would be a total of 240 booths - 140 indoors and 100 outdoors.
Inside booths would range from $2.25 a square foot to $3.25. Average indoor booths would range from 90 square feet to 360 square feet.
Hunter says The Marketplace would be at a prime location. It would be within minutes from Interstate 64, 264 and 664; 20 minutes from Greenbrier Mall and 31 minutes from Pembroke Mall.
Hunter, who once owned an advertising and marketing firm in Maryland, said he'll help vendors market their crafts.
He's hoping the center would also have a festive feel. The Marketplace would feature free entertainment and kiddie carnival rides and booths, as well as seasonal themes for Christmas and other holidays.
Hunter isn't new to business ventures, although he says more people know him through his community service work.
A native of Charles County, Md., he started his first business, an advertising and marketing firm, in 1975 in Charles County shortly before he graduated from high school. He produced a number of trade shows along the East Coast, then moved to Los Angeles where he worked in marketing and as a graphics artist.
Hunter moved to Virginia in 1985, becoming heavily involved in community service and religious work.
He published the now-defunct Virginia Beach-based Christian Times, a 30,000 circulation weekly in 1989 and 1990. He served on the board of the Life Focus 93 Crusade and on the executive board of The Hampton Roads United Christians. The United Christians helped to organize the Life Focus Crusade at Scope in 1993 which featured evangelists Tony Evans and John Guest.
In 1993, Hunter was also chairman of the campaign steering committee of the United Way's South Hampton Roads Campaign for the Homeless. A year later, after winning a contract with Proffitts Store, he formed Hunter and Company Inc., which manufactures fixtures and cabinets.
Roughly a year later, he began Depot Storage Cabinets Inc., which markets a line of fixtures and cabinets for retail stores and offices.
City Councilman Leroy Bennett, whose borough includes the old Lowe's, says he's receptive to Hunter's proposal.
``From what he's shown me, it sounds like it would be a great thing for Suffolk. Plus it would change the scenery. That barn is an eyesore,'' Bennett said.
Ida W. Raike, who owns the barn, says she's receptive to Hunter's idea, but says he needs solid financial backing before the project can be a success.
Hunter entered into a contract with Raike on May 17 to lock up the option on the property until July. Raike said Monday that she has no intention of taking the option away from Hunter. She said one other party is interested in the property, but has no contract with her.
If Hunter can't come up with the financing, Raike said, she might auction the property next month.
``If the right people come along with the right backing, it will be a prime piece of property,'' Raike said. ILLUSTRATION: FROM EYESORE TO MARKETPLACE?
Photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II, Graphics by JOHN EARLE / The
Virginian-Pilot
VP Map by CNB