Swiss Bear reminiscences...Mike's Jewelry

Bruce and Cindy Price opened the doors of Mike's Jewelry
Store on Dec.1, 1992

It wasn’t business as usual when Bruce and Cindy Price opened the doors of Mike’s Jewelry Store on Dec. 1, 1992. After 34 years, the family business established by Mike Crary was in a new and much larger location. Until they moved to the adjacent building, this small family business had grown and prospered over the years in a 50-inch by 50-foot space nestled between two buildings.

The relocation into the adjacent Windley Building at 222 Middle St. reflects the passage of a business to the next generation — a shop that prospered as business increased every year, even during the “doom and gloom” years in the ‘70s when the downtown reached its lowest point.

In my conversation with Crary, in the spring of 1993, he reflected on his long career. Here is Crary’s story:

I must have done something right. In addition to working hard, my philosophy has always been to treat people as I would like to be treated.

I’m just about a native. Although I grew up in Kinston, I had family in New Bern so I spent a lot of time here. I served in the Navy in WWII and have campaign ribbons from every theater from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific.

After the war, like everyone else, I needed a job. When I heard the Jewel Box had an opening I applied. Murray Fitterman owned the business and after the interview, the man put me to work. I went in on the GI bill since it paid for training on the job. We made a deal: If I would work on the floor as a salesman for a year he would train me in watch repair.

Fitterman was one of the toughest and fairest bosses I ever worked for. He was a man of his word. If he promised you something you could put it in the bank. I worked for Mr. Fitterman for seven years and learned the trade of watch repair, among other things. Jimmy Simpkins owned Stanley Jewelers … it was just down the street … he wooed me away from the Jewel Box. Unfortunately Mr. Simpkins’ interest in politics took its toll on the business. First he ran for Alderman and won hands down. Next he ran and was elected to the State Senate. When he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress, he was defeated by David Henderson of Burgaw. It wasn’t long after that the IRS closed the store.

That left me without a job. As I was walking along Middle Street wondering what I was going to do, I saw a little recessed area … like a hole between two buildings. It was originally an alleyway between the old hotel and the Windley building. Years before Ellis Zaytoun had converted an area of the alley to house a newsstand. He was there for more than 50 years, in fact, he raised three kids and put them through college with that business. He had closed the newsstand several years before.

I knew right then that’s where I needed to set up my shop, even though it was in bad shape. Leo Brody owned the property and he said he would rent it to me but I would have to pay for all of the repairs and would rent me the space for $50 a month and would never raise the rent as long as I stayed there. Mr. Brody was a fine gentleman and a man of his word. Up until we moved, I was still only paying $50 a month.

I put on a new roof, fixed up the interior and hung out my shingle. The shop was small, 50-inches wide and 20-feet deep at that time. I didn’t need any more room since all I had was a watch workbench and my tools. They were the only things the IRS didn’t confiscate.

Since I had worked downtown for so many years, I was well known. Today, it is cheaper to buy a new watch than to get on fixed, but years ago it wasn’t that way. People had their watches repaired frequently. I had a lot of repeat customers … some who couldn’t read. So to let people know where I was, I would run ads with my picture … when people would see my face and that haircut they knew where to find me. I’ve had the same brush cut for 50 years.

I worked late into the night repairing watches and put every dollar I could into merchandise. I knew money wasn’t only to be made with my hands … a large inventory and different lines of merchandise were the answer and my business prospered. Even during downtown’s low point in the late 1979’s, his business increased. He attributed this to his store being a destination … one that provided a service and had many return customers or “friends.”

Crary retired when Bruce and Cindy Price opened the new store. His wife, Mabel worked in the new store until she passed away in 2006. Mike, now 95, resides at the Sterling House.

Current owners Bruce and Cindy’s biggest problem has been adjusting to and compensating for the growth of business.

Reflections on Mitchell Hardware

Mitchell Hardware as seen today.

Snapshot: October 1987 — a typical Saturday morning at the Corner Grill (now the Chelsea), the restaurant filled with people enjoying a leisure breakfast while catching up on the week’s news.

At one particular table the conversation of three locals, Paul Johnson, Stewart Smith and Harold Talton turned to the fate of Mitchell’s Hardware located in the Old City Hall Building on Craven Street.

The original location of Mitchell Hardware at
220 Craven St. is occupied today by
Ballantynes Framing & Art.

Paul Johnson, Buzz Mitchell’s health is so poor I hear they are going to sell Mitchell’s Hardware. Stewart’s response, Harold, let’s buy it!

On the following Wednesday, October 7, Harold Talton had “closed the deal” and he and his wife Pat were the sole owners of an old-timey hardware store that had been in the Mitchell family for over 90 years.

In a conversation with Harold (Swiss Bear Chairman) I raised the obvious question. Why did a successful businessman, community leader, a regional vice president for First Citizens Bank, recently recognized for 40 years of service, buy, relocate and expand an old-timey store?

Here’s Harold’s reply beginning with a brief history lesson. Mitchell Hardware started out as a livery stable in 1898, which sold in addition to mules and horses, wagons and harnesses. In the early 1900’s they went out of the livery business and got into hardware. To put it more colorfully, they opened the gate, ran the horses and mules off and brought in the hardware.

Within a year’s time, change was in the wind. My original intention was to stay at the location on 220 Craven Street but the space, only 17 feet wide, just wasn’t big enough. The Parker Building just across the street was on the market and I saw the potential.

Harold continued, even before I heard the hardware store was for sale on that Saturday morning over coffee, I knew Greg Smith, a Boy Scout executive for 10 years, was looking to change his life style. Before I made the offer on the building, I talked with Greg. Within a two-week period, Greg was married, had a new job and was in a new town to run and manage the hardware store.

When I turn in my key and Master Card at First Citizens Bank, I hope to spend some time there.

What they attempted to do was recreate a turn-of-the-century hardware store. The fact that Mitchell’s was old-timey is the main reason Harold bought it. He enjoyed going to auctions and estate sales to look for and buy items that would have been sold at the turn-of-the-century. They are used as decorations in the store, but most items are for sale.

When they purchased the S.B. Parker Building, the tin-pressed ceilings were still in-tact. Although many people recommended lowering the ceilings to retain all the fluorescent fixtures that had been hung over the years, he removed and replaced them with lights from that era and three old ceiling paddle fans that were made the same year the building was constructed.

He put in wooden floors and built additional shelving to match the original shelving that was still in the building. The counter is the original counter from the old Mitchell Hardware.

Over the years he continued to add “old” items and merchandise to “add to the customer’s experience”.

The hardware carries a full range of nails, paints, tools, etc., and specialty food items - jams, smoked hams in season, even honey from his own bees.

As a result of a casual conversation one Saturday morning, Mitchell Hardware incorporated as “Hams, Jams, Hardware and Stuff, Inc.” is and continues to be a place where people browse, visit, and explore for no better reason than they just like being there for the pure pleasure of being there.

*Harold Talton was chairman of Swiss Bear for a total of eight years. He passed away in 2008 and Greg bought the business from the Talton family several years later. It was a wise decision on Harold’s part to bring Greg into the business. Greg is an ambassador for downtown and Mitchell Hardware is a destination for visitors and area citizens alike.

November a good month for local man to give thanks

Bear Bucks Raffle 

November has been a good month for Maury Barg to give thanks. It was during a Thanksgiving holiday trip to Eastern North Carolina a dozen years ago that Barg and his wife Rita visited New Bern and then made it their home the next year.

Now, the River Bend homeowner has another November moment to remember — winning the $10,000 drawing in the Bear Bucks Raffle fundraiser for Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp.

Barg will do the gentlemanly thing and split the prize with his wife.

Not generally a gambling man, Barg said he bought some tickets after getting an email request from his friend Tom McGraw, a Swiss Bear board member.

After the recent drawing at the Holiday Gift Show, Barg got a telephone call from the Raffle Committee Chairwoman Judy Avery, telling him his ticket had been drawn from several thousand that were sold.

“That was very nice, but I thought she was joking,” Barg said. “I bought the tickets because of Tom and he said the money would be used for good things.”

The raffle was to aid Swiss Bear, which has been the ramrod behind the revitalization of downtown since the 1980s.

Barg said he and his wife first came to New Bern on a day trip while visiting their daughter, who had accepted a new job as an attorney in Greenville.

The Bargs had lunch downtown, took in the sights and rode the trolley.

When they returned to their Connecticut home of 40 years, they thought about making a move to New Bern.

They lived in a house on a big lake, so waterfront was important, he said.

They visited several coastal towns, including Bath and Washington, but decided New Bern was the right fit.

“We wanted the river, not a canal,” he said.

The Bear Bucks Raffle kicked off in August with a goal to raise funding and awareness for Swiss Bear. The campaign is expected to raise more than $14,000.

A campaign committee included Avery, along with Linda Mattocks, Susan Braaten, Mike Neill, Michelle Lynn, Christy Rollins, Chad Sittig and Gilbert Stroud.

The Swiss Bear board was divided into five teams, with nine board members each. Team leaders were Bob Mattocks, Bill Fentress, Cindy Turco, Dell Ipock and Ernie Richardson. 

Turco’s team had the most overall sales, while Mattock’s group had the most individual sales, with more than $1,000. McGraw, who sold Barg the winning ticket, came in a close second. 

Flag company owner Bill Rust provided a flag for highest sales to Mattocks.

The Unforgettable first Coastal Christmas Celebration

In the Spirit of the Season, reflecting on memories from 1984.

Santa is shown arriving in 1984 at the intersection of
Pollock and Middle streets downtown.

My recent conversation with Linda Morris was filled with hearty laughter as she reminisced about the pitfalls and foibles of the first Coastal Carolina Celebration Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1984, and its unforgettable ending.

Susan, it was awful, just awful! I was never so embarrassed in my entire life. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die!

Linda served on the Swiss Bear Board in the mid-1980’s and among other contributions, initiated and served as chairman of the Coastal Christmas Celebration during her tenure as a director.

Linda recalled, As a New Bern native, I had many vivid happy memories of a downtown that celebrated the holidays; the Molly Heath tree in the Christ Episcopal Church yard was always decorated with Christmas lights. Christmas music filled the air. Santa had a little house on Middle Street and there was always , a Christmas parade- all of those kinds of things—but the decline of the downtown in the ‘70’s put an end to all of that. The whole idea was to create an event that would bring people back downtown, one that would get families involved.

A Swiss Bear Christmas Committee was organized in September 1984 and members met with East Carolina Yacht Club members to discuss a flotilla parade of decorated boats on the waterfront. Since it was so late in the year and construction of the new Sheraton Hotel and marina was underway in the urban renewal area on the Trent River waterfront, the decision was made to pursue organizing a flotilla in 1985.

In the meantime, when permission was received from the Christ Episcopal Church to decorate the Molly Hearth tree, the committee decided to have a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the evening of December 5, the first Saturday of the month to kick-off the holiday season. Three electrical supply companies contributed the strings of colored lights and the city agreed to put them on the tree.

Harold Talton (Swiss Bear Chairman) agreed to be Santa and would be in a small roller sleigh that, then executive director Marvin Davis brought from Elizabeth City. The program was to begin at 5:30 p.m. (scheduled to last an hour) in front of the old post office (New at Middle Street) with performances by the New Bern High School band and the drill team, the Centenary Church Children’s Bell Choir, and a Christmas Cheer.   

Centenary Church Children's Bell Choir also performed
at the Christmas celebration.

Pro-Musica would lead everyone in parade form down Middle to the intersection of Pollock Street, singing “Here Comes Santa Claus “while two drill team members would pull Santa on the sleigh. When Santa arrived at the intersection, he would make some cheery comments, ask  Reverend Ed Sharp, Rector of Christ Church to give a Christmas blessing and then with a flick of his finger, turn on the lights on the Molly Heath Tree.  

So what went wrong, why was it an awful experience?

Linda continued, on the same day of the celebration, we learned the city had just finished hanging wreaths on the light poles, and had not turned on any of the lights in the decorations.

We came up with the idea we would tie the lighting of the Christmas wreath decorations with the Tree Lighting Ceremony. All of the lights would be tied to a timer so Santa could turn everything on with a flick of his finger. We all know about the best laid plans.

Around noon on December 5, the temperature started to drop and began to rain. Light sleet began to fall and had intensified to the point, by 5 p.m. we knew we were in trouble. Everyone was freezing, children were crying, musicians could barely perform. We managed to cut that portion short and everyone paraded to the Pollock/Middle Street intersection.

As Christmas Cheer was performed at the 1984
Coastal Carolina Celebration Tree Lighting Ceremony.

After a quick blessing and a few ho, ho, ho’s, everyone watched in great anticipation for the moment the lights would all come on. Media cameramen stood poised as Santa flicked the switch. Nothing happened. He flicked it again and again nothing happened. He walked over to me, Linda what went wrong? I don’t know, try again. He flicked it again-still no lights.

Finally we realized the lights weren’t going to come on –the timer had been set for 6:30 p.m. according to the scheduled program. By cutting it short, we were 15 to20 minutes ahead of schedule.

While someone tried to get into City Hall to move the timer ahead, we stood there humiliated, watching everyone leave in total disappointment. When the lights finally did come on, no more than five people were there to see it. It was awful. It’s funny now, but it certainly wasn’t then.

The December 20 Swiss Bear board minutes have a brief entry…Christmas Committee - Agenda item #8... Linda Morris reported, our committee learned from our mistakes this year and will meet in January to plan for next year.

Susan Moffat Thomas, Executive Director

Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp.

Downtown pedestrian connections

Creating a strong sense of community... 

Church Alley after
construction was completed

Church Alley during
construction

To create a downtown that will attract a diverse concentrated mix of uses and foster economic interaction among these uses, it is essential to encourage people through the downtown core on foot by establishing an attractive system of pedestrian connections. Pedestrian connections create a strong sense of community and walkability, an important goal in New Bern’s downtown revitalization effort.

According to the summary of existing conditions in the 1977 Downtown Revitalization Plan, pedestrian access from the mid-block parking lots to the shops that fronted Middle, Pollock and Craven streets was inadequate, in some cases dangerous and generally unattractive. To achieve walkability, the 1977 Plan proposed an open space system for the entire redevelopment effort starting at the bulkhead of the urban renewal property along the Trent River and continuing along the Neuse River to connect with the historic residential and commercial district. The plan envisioned connecting mid-block parking lots to shopping streets, creating additional walking path systems (Riverwalk) through the city that would extend out to the water’s edge (Riverwalk) system.

The first mid-block pedestrian park, created in 1981 with Municipal Service District (MSD) funds (additional taxes paid by downtown property owners for public improvements) was Bear Plaza, which connected to the newly constructed interior parking lot referred to as Federal Alley. The 1990 Urban Design Plan, initiated and coordinated by Swiss Bear in partnership with the city, reiterated the importance of pedestrian connections and recommended existing through-block pedestrian connections be improved, enhanced and new ones developed when the opportunity arose.

As a result, Church Alley (between Remax and Tom’s Coins), the walkway between First Baptist Church and O. Marks, and the walkway along the Century 21 building from South Front into the interior Federal Alley parking area and the alley between Morgan’s Tavern and the adjacent building were improved to include paving, some with lighting and landscaping. However, a pedestrian connection was still needed on Pollock Street.

In early 1994, when Swiss Bear heard the owner of the old pool hall was considering selling it, with approval from the Municipal Service District Advisory Committee and the city, Swiss Bear board member Stewart Smith approached the owner and worked out an agreement for the city to purchase the building with MSD funds. Acquiring this property was a goal for the creation of a through-block pedestrian linkage onto Pollock Street as recommended in the 1990 Urban Design Plan. This small one-story building was in poor repair, without architectural distinction and its removal would allow a dramatic direct view of the steeple of the Episcopal Church, mirroring the view of the First Baptist through Church Alley.

Swiss Bear hired Allison Platt & Associates to design a plan for the space with plantings, old brick from the streets of New Bern, street lights, benches and a three-tier fountain. Following demolition of the old building by the City, the project was put on hold as the remaining MSD funds were committed for the first phase of major streetscape improvements to the 100/200 blocks of Middle Street.

Swiss Bear met the challenge to move the project forward and worked to raise the needed funds and find an appropriate name for the mid-block pedestrian park. The late Rev. Edward Sharp of Christ Episcopal Church had been a strong supporter of the revitalization effort and Swiss Bear so I asked for his assistance to recommend a name for the park. Through his research efforts, the New Bern Board of Aldermen approved our request to name the park James Reed Lane in memory and honor of this 18th century pioneer in public education. After 230 years, the Rev. James Reed, first rector of Christ Church, received belated public recognition for his role in establishing in New Bern, North Carolina’s first incorporated school in 1764.

The city agreed to provide the labor for development of the space and our campaign to raise $60,000 for construction materials, streetlights, benches and planting materials was successful. Additional funding for the beautiful three-tier cast iron fountain was contributed by Dr. and Mrs. Harry MacDonald in honor of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.J. MacDonald. John C. Thomas constructed the abstract wood wall hanging and donated the brownstone plaque in the sidewalk that recognizes the MacDonald’s contribution. Contributors to the project are listed on a bronze plaque on the brick wall facing the park.

On Feb. 25, 1996, 2 p.m., the dedication was a joyous well attended occasion. In addition to remarks from Reverend Sharp, the Swiss Bear director and chairman, special guest Patrick Dorsey, North Carolina secretary of Cultural Resources, was the keynote speaker.

Thanks to a public/private partnership that began in the late 1970s, the development of this mid-block pedestrian park added another amenity that enhanced the “walkability and sense of place” of our historic downtown. Downtown now offers a mix of restaurants, retail, galleries, attractions, offices, parks and housing that promote interaction. Since the downtown economy thrives on accessibility, networking, creativity and a sense of community, the numerous pedestrian connections play a vital role as interaction is key to downtown’s success.

Susan Moffat-Thomas

Executive Director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation.

Sunrise Business Update - December 5

Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation and the New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce are happy to announce the fifth Sunrise Business Update will be held Thursday, December 5. Featured speaker, Marc Finlayson, Finlayson Consulting will provide an up-date on Highway 17 and how the Highway 17 project, particularly Jones and Craven Counties, are affected by the new formula for allocating highway money, HB817-Strategic Transportation Investments, which changed the states’ previous equity formula ranking projects by statewide significance.

Marc has managed the Highway 17 Association for many years providing public relations/media relations, marketing and advertising services.  Prior to launching his company in 2002, Finlayson served as Weyerhaeuser’s North Carolina  Communications Manager.  Through his work with the Highway 17 Association, he was asked to co-chair NC Go!, the statewide transportation advocacy coalition, speaking for improvements to all transportation systems in the state, including highways, public transit and ports. Marc earned  a Bachelor of Arts degree in News/Editorial Journalism from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The meeting will be held 8 – 9 a.m. at Baker’s Kitchen, 227   Middle Street in the second floor meeting room with a full buffet breakfast.  The cost, $10 per person, will be collected at the beginning of the meeting.

Due to limited seating, reservations are required by contacting the Chamber.  You can reply by email to smilliron@newbernchamber.com or by calling 637-3111.  Reservations for the December 5 meeting are required by the end of the Tuesday, December 3^rd work day.

The bi-monthly program (held the last Thursday of the month) is being held December 5, due to the Thanksgiving holiday is the last of the 2013 Sunrise Business Up-date series.  

Swiss Bear and the Chamber of Commerce provide this opportunity for the business community to meet and hear presentations from business professionals on topics that are important and timely to New Bern, Craven County and Eastern North Carolina.

For more information on the Chamber go to www.newbernchamber.com or  Swiss Bear www.downtownnewbern.com.

The Baxter Street clock - a new lease on life

On May 5, 1977, disaster struck when a furniture truck
backed into the clock and bent the clock pillar.The remaining
paneled based stood as a constant reminder of the tragic
accident for the next fourteen years.

An essential element of downtown’s sense of place, in addition to its historical structures, is its street furniture. Street lights, signage and benches provide a sense of intimacy throughout the downtown.

A striking and cherished street amenity dominating the 300 block of Pollock Street is the large 1920 oversized cast iron four faced clock. Known as the Baxter Four-faced Street Clock, this important landmark is a highly prized community possession listed on the National Register and is one of a very few that still remain in this county. 

The Baxter Street Clock reached the $28,000 goal in a matter
of months and was dedicated on April 20, 1991

Today a rarity, street clocks were a common streetscape element in many American cities from the 1860s well after the turn of the 20th century. Small business owners, like New Bern’s J. O. Baxter family who bought and installed this 1920 Seth Thomas street clock on July 24 in front of the Baxter Jewelry Store, painted the name of their business on the clock faces as a convenience to customers and distinctive way to advertise their store.

The street clocks in the eastern part of the United States began to be manufactured in the 1860 –’70s, primarily by the Seth Thomas Company and the E. Howard Clock & Watch Company, two successful American pioneer clock companies.

Larger than human scale, initially the clocks were operated by a mechanism based on a weight calculated according to the number of feet needed for its fall. When wound, the clock would run for eight days. By the early 1900s, they were mechanized and operated from a master clock inside owner’s store.

Located on sidewalks, near the curb, many were prey to sidewalk ordinances or more frequently, automobile and truck accidents. Such was the fate of the Baxter Street Clock. On May 5, 1977, disaster struck when a furniture truck backed into the clock and bent the clock pillar. In an attempt to straighten it, the Baxter family hired a salvage company with a crane to lift the clock off the pillar and straighten it before placing the clock back on the pillar.

Good in theory, however as the crane picked the clock up, it was accidentally dropped shattering into a multitude of pieces as it hit the sidewalk.

The shock was felt throughout the state.

Excerpts from a letter written on May 10, 1977, by Dabney Coddington, then curator of Education at Tryon Palace to Janet Seapher, a historian in the state’s Historic Preservation Section, Archives and History, provides a personal account and reaction:

Dear Janet:

I hate reporting things like this. The enclosed Sun Journal article covers it fully. The Baxter Street Clock was first knocked loose from its pedestal by a truck very early in the morning, it appears. In righting the clock the next day, you can see what happened.

A comedy of accident and error, but one that has upset a number of people.

Della and Benny Baxter are, as you may guess, quite stunned by the whole happening. The cast iron casing of the clock remains intact, and the upper parts of the workings were what spilled into the street. They have been collected and kept. A letter from you and A. & H. expressing sympathy and offering any advice on repair, would be most fitting. They were very proud of this landmark and I hope they will restore it, even with new modern workings inside. That block of Pollock Street really looks naked, believe me.

Wish I had better news.

When attempts to repair/replace the clock by the Baxter family were unsuccessful, the remaining paneled base stood as a constant reminder of the tragic accident for the next fourteen years.

In 1990, recognizing the clock was an important part of downtown’s history, Swiss Bear decided to investigate the feasibility of having the clock restored. After a bit of research, I contacted the Verdin firm in Ohio, a company founded in 1842 committed to producing the highest quality cast bronze clocks, bells and towers. They had the original patterns of the clock case and agreed to do the restoration project for $28,000.

The Baxter family agreed to give Swiss Bear ownership of the clock base and saved broken parts stored in the basement of the jewelry store on the condition we were able to raise the funds to restore it to its original condition.

Before proceeding with a fundraising campaign and contracting with the Verdin Company, Swiss Bear acquired a commitment from the city to accept ownership of the clock and its on-going maintenance if Swiss Bear raised all the funds and coordinated the project.

The public responded with great enthusiasm and support and the Baxter Clock Restoration Campaign reached the $28,000 goal in a matter of months. Coordination of the project with the Verdin Company took place over the year. The quartz mechanism, installed to enhance the timepiece’s accuracy and reduce maintenance, is battery operated so the original weights seen in the small window in the clock base are no longer a part of the winding mechanism.

On April 20, 1991, the day of the dedication, Swiss Bear transferred clock ownership formally to the City at a ceremony with special guest Patricia Dorsey, NC Secretary of Cultural Resources. When the time came to unveil the precious timepiece, as she tugged on the ropes tied to the tarpaulin covering, the 19-plus foot structure began to waver as the tarpaulin became impaled on the spire at the top of the clock.  

A Public Works employee in a nearby truck with a cherry picker saved the day and lifted the tarp off the clock to a cheering crowd.

Like so many of Swiss Bear’s projects, interested citizens rose to the challenge and their contributions provided a new lease on life for this historic landmark.