Salisbury ~ The Downtown Series ~ #2: Bernhardt Hardware Store, c. 1882, Salisbury NC

A Valuable Piece of Downtown Americana ~ for Sale with Tax Credits available! ~ The circa 1882 Bernhardt Hardware Store, Salisbury NC ~ $290,000

Bernhardt Hardware at 111 N Main Street, Salisbury NC was always known for having sleds at the ready for the first snow. But the sleds are gone. All the bicycles and little red wagons have been sold. The last tomato plants have been given away. The Bernhardt Hardware Store on Main Street has forever been a downtown Salisbury, North Carolina fixture and a destination for shopping or a social visit. Now the 1882 Bernhardt Hardware Store is for sale and is eligible for Historic Restoration Tax Credits that potentially can cover 40% of restoration costs!

Original Artwork of the Bernhardt Hardware Store by Robert Richard Toth

Main Level ~ side 1

Paul M. Bernhardt moved to Salisbury in the 1860s and started a hardware business that family members continuously operated since that time in downtown Salisbury NC. When Paul Leake Bernhardt, downtown merchant and former mayor of Salisbury, passed away in 2012 at 87, the "Sage of Main Street" (a great storyteller, Bernhardt was frequently called upon for advice and questions about olden times in Salisbury) left the legacy that was Bernhardt Hardware up for new and innovative usage of marvelous retail space. Located at this historic downtown crossroads, Bernhardt Hardware is right on the Main Street Corridor in what is known as “The Square” ~ the 100 block in each direction from the intersection of Main and Innes Streets.

Main Floor ~ side 2

111-115 North Main Street houses the circa 1882 Bernhardt Hardware Store.  Inside this large space, all three of the 25’ wide bays combine into one store with two storefronts. The building has 75’ feet of frontage on Main Street and an equal amount of frontage in the rear that faces the recently improved Central City Lot, providing ample and lit parking.

Second story

The Bernhardt Hardware Store space draws the impression of North Carolina that seems to disappear more quickly with each passing day. So many, in so many places, tear down old buildings and landmarks, replacing them with big-box retailers and corporate arenas large and small, where once stood beautiful, intimate towns and country stores, some owned and operated for generations by the same families. There aren't many left.  In Salisbury North Carolina, however, the preservation instinct is strong, and the downtown is intact with thriving businesses in beautiful nostalgic storefronts.   

Our Vanishing Americana, Lassiter & Grant

The wonderful book, Our Vanishing Americana: A North Carolina Portrait, (http://www.ncamericana.com/) by Mike Lassiter and Lee Grant, takes you on a journey through a treasured museum of life the way it was , helping one to grasp what is left of the passing scene in towns across North Carolina that helped form the state’s heritage.  The Bernhardt Hardware Store, while not featured in this wonderful photographic journal of the disappearing family-owned genre of shops such as hardware stores, general stores, and ‘filling-stations’, could be nestled in the pages of this book…it is just exactly an example of the iconic downtown community oriented shopping space.

Rear Parking

If the prime location alone in the main square of downtown Salisbury is not enough to convince you to purchase this historic Bernhardt Hardware building, a community icon and historic business site, for your retail venture, take a look around the downtown to see the plethora of other businesses that have, in just recent years, flocked to this thriving historic and nostalgic North Carolina downtown.  Restaurants such as The Salty Caper, Uncle Bucks, The Bangkok Downtown, and Gritz are newer establishments nestled alongside older familiars such as Spanky’s Sandwich Shoppe, The Sidewalk Deli, Santo’s Goodfellows, and the SweetMeadow Café.  New entertainment spots are springing up such as Nashville Nights, Go Burrito (with the town’s first rooftop entertainment area!), and Coopers, all thrive with their neighboring Blue VineWine Shop, Benchwarmer’s. A locally owned book store and two locally run coffee houses fill these historic buildings dotted with art galleries, new dress shops, and health food stores.  Your business at the Bernhardt Hardware Store will be in good company in a bustling downtown in central North Carolina!

Downtown Salisbury, North Carolina

The downtown~centric location of the Bernhardt Hardware Store is perfect for a variety of businesses. The location and square footage of the space provides endless possibilities for stores, shops, or any other retail, as well as a great potential space for residential apartments, condominiums, or small boutique style hotels. The downtown location is also perfect for restaurants, bars, and pubs.

This large and spacious building, with over 16,000 square feet, is in need of many upgrades and is therefore only priced at $290,000 in this prime retail location. The first floor alone houses nearly 8,000 square feet of space, the second floor holds over 8,000, and the 500+ square foot mezzanine is a value added space. The owners will consider subdividing in to 2 or 3 buildings.  This property is available for Historic Restoration Tax Credits that amount to as much as 40% of the restoration costs.

The Bernhardt Hardware Store ~ over 16,000 square feet on Main St, Salisbury NC

This is the second installment in Salisbury ~ The Downtown Series highlighting wonderful available real estate in downtown Salisbury North Carolina. Salisbury Real Estate Agent Greg Rapp extends you the invitation to come to Salisbury North Carolina, spend the day, take in the downtown and feel the positive vibe, exemplified in the recently hosted NC Main Street Conference here that sent over 500 visitors home wanting to model their community after Downtown Salisbury NC, and check out this fabulous potential now available at the Bernhardt Hardware Store.  And with the promise of 40% restoration costs covered by Historic Restoration Tax Credits, http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/tchome.htm, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss to snatch up this large Main Street storefront with infinite retail, commercial, or even residential mixed use potential.  Contact Greg at 704.213.6846 to accept his invitation! You won't believe your eyes! . . . . And stay tuned for Salisbury ~ The Downtown Series #3!