Grissoms about to call Main Street home
It’s been said some people can make something from nothing, but in a literal sense, that’s really kind of doubtful.
It might be more accurate to say some people can make something from almost nothing, and that’s a little more believable – especially if you’ve met Joe Grissom.
In fact, Grissom takes this concept one step further. He seems to be able to make something from almost nothing and save money while he’s doing it.
Currently, after purchasing the old Fraley’s warehouse on Main Street, Grissom, and his wife Martha, are renovating it with the aim of making it their home.
“This is going to be our townhouse right here,” he said. “It’s about 4,000 square feet.”
In the process of constructing their dream home, the Grissoms have taken advantage of some low-interest loans made available as part of the Main Street project.
“I met Rachel Killebrew down here at The Collection,” he said, “and she’s the one who told me about that.”
Killebrew then put Grissom in contact with Jeff Golden at Union Planters Bank who helped him with the financing.
Grissom also took advantage of some Main Street grant money.
“I’ve been approved for a $5,000 no-interest loan, plus I’m approved for a $1,000 grant. This all goes toward the facade of the building.
“We’re not going to do a lot to the front,” he said. “Other than just put in a new entry. Everything else is going to stay pretty much as it was, because they don’t want you to change things much. They want you to keep the historic part of it, so we’re going to leave most of that.”
The building has had a mixed history. Grissom believes the building was constructed around 1933 or 1935 and started out as a Dodge dealership. Brown Amusement Company had the building for a time, and at one point a wholesale grocery occupied it. Eventually Fraley’s purchased it and turned it into a warehouse for the furniture store.
Grissom said the building had functioned as a residence before.
“There was an apartment originally upstairs,” Grissom said. “People lived upstairs and ran the business. That is my understanding.”
A balcony on the top floor that was part of the original residence was one of the features that intrigued him and influenced his decision to purchase it.
“I had wanted the building for a long time,” he added, “because of the balcony up there. I just thought that was really neat.”
Grissom said the building had grown some over the years with some additions at the rear of the original shop, but he has performed some major surgery on the old structure, removing the roof from a large section of it to form what he refers to as “the courtyard,” a large open area where he plans to plant some trees and install some garden features.
The Grissoms have owned the building for a little over a year, and have already done a substantial amount of work – all of which the Grissoms have performed themselves. In fact, this isn’t the first such project the couple has undertaken. According to Grissom, they have been purchasing houses, renovating and then selling them for a profit for some time. The Grissoms’ do-it-yourself skills have proven quite a money-saver.
“We got into this years ago,” he said. “We’ve always loved building and remodeling, especially old houses. I guess one of our biggest ones was what is now Falcon Manor. We bought that in the early ’80s, and started on that. We lived in it for several years.” Eventually the Grissoms sold the home to George and Charlien McGlothin in 1989. “It was just a little bit too big of a project.”
Grissom said, though the structure is going to function mainly as a residence, his wife Martha will run a small stained glass business out of the building. The couple has also built an apartment at the rear of the property where Grissom’s recently widowed mother will be residing.
Though the couple has pretty much made a living by buying, renovating and selling property, that is not the intent for this one.
“We’re going to stay in this one for a while,” he said. “We’re going to try to slow down after this one’s done.”