Buildings Purchased Downtown With Plans for New Businesses

Junior and Penny Medley recently purchased two buildings in downtown including the Old City Drug Building with plans to make the buildings contribute to the downtown economy. Work on the building has begun with an effort to secure the roof and walls from the intrusion of rainwater.

Preliminary plans include a potential for residential, retail, and maybe a restaurant or ice cream counter. No plans are definite, but each of the ideas is familiar to the couple. Junior Medley operates Medley’s Classic Diner on Sparta Highway near the hospital. Two years ago, the Medleys purchased the vacant building at 125-131 East Main, the building just west of they two they recently purchased. Today it is a fully-occupied, mixed-use success containing residential, retail, service, and office.

The couple is trying to determine what the market will support when deciding the final plans for each building’s use. They are good business people with a keen eye on profitability. If it doesn’t make sense they will not pursue it. Yet, the couple also describes themselves as “risk-takers”. They know that good entrepreneurs must be willing to make not only the necessary financial investment, but time and research as well if one expects to have a return.