Making My Way Downtown
…Moving fast, Elks Lodge I pass and I’m homebound.
On Tuesday, June 21 the building home to Curt’s Cucina on Broad Street in DTSP officially sold to the Southern Pines Elks Lodge. There have been talks of the deal since at least May, and exalted ruler, David Greiner sees a promising future in the new location. “It gives us a fresh start,” says David. “This gives us a place to come and meet as fellow members and create ideas on what type of projects we want to support moving forward.”
The Elks have been pining for a new home after the sale of their Donald Ross-designed Southern Pines Golf Club to an investment group whose partners included Pine Needles CEO Kelly Miller in 2020. They initially thought they would build a new lodge on the 4.5 acre property they still owned, but when this opportunity arose, all horns were in.
“The good thing about this location is that it is visible in the community,” David says. “We hope the location will attract members and want to get likeminded people to join us.”
The Elks Lodge has been a social and charitable organization in the community for many years, awarding scholarships to local high school seniors and supporting veteran initiatives in the community. The transition is expected to start in the coming weeks and will take some time to get the space how the Elks want it. As for Curt’s, you won’t have to say pasta la vista for very long. Curt Shelvey plans to open his food truck, The Gravy Train, at Red’s Corner in July.
Sharing Their Territory
The Elks took to Facebook on July 12 to announce a unique opportunity at their new location. Noting their newly owned commercial kitchen, Chris Smithson of the Southern Pines Elks Club writes, “We are looking to work and partner with the right people to facilitate their outside business ventures in coordination with our organization’s in-house plans.”
The club would like to see their kitchen in action, used for great things and foresee a partnership with a local entrepreneur to come take advantage of this delicious opportunity. To learn more, slide into Chris’ DMs.
And if a pool of questions is flipping through your mind…
The Elks’ pool was sold in the sale of 2020, and has been leased by the Elks ever since. However, that agreement is set to expire this year. Pine Needles is still exploring its options, and told The Sway the business is “open to different opportunities.”
The location of the new lodge is 515 SE Broad St in Southern Pines. To connect with the Southern Pines Elks Lodge, visit the website.
