Historic renovation nears completion in Powder Springs

Rooted Trading Company will open this spring in the site of the 160-year-old Butner-McTyre General Store in downtown Powder Springs.

This month Powder Springs officials issued a certificate of occupancy to Rooted Trading Company at 4455 Marietta St., signifying that the entirety of its structures complies with all local and federal building codes.Set for a late April opening just before the opening of the city’s downtown park, Rooted will offer grab-and-go foods and beverages, rentals of bicycles and fishing gear, hunting excursions and tours of the city and the Silver Comet Trail, according to a city statement.“We’re pretty much keeping these buildings to their original purpose,” said Jake Hardy, Rooted’s store manager, in the statement.Rooted will operate in the property’s main building, dating back to 1860 as the Butner-McTyre General Store.Documents filed with the National Register of Historic Places show that the property also served as the locations of the House Family Blacksmith Shop and the Country Store of Seven Springs.The “Rooted” name stems from the Hardy family’s desire to maintain the legacy of the “old country store” and its location in the center of downtown Historic Powder Springs.Additions to the property include an outdoor bar-top area and deck that will provide visitors with a view of Marietta Street.

A shipping container, bearing Rooted’s logo, will provide storage of the rental bikes to be offered by the store.The property also will offer visitors parking space for their own bicycles as well as parking and food trucks during special events.Rooted will offer space for local makers, artisans and businesses to showcase “their passions and goods.”Two other buildings, which also date back to the 19th century, remain on the property.The Center Section, added in 1890 as storage for the Main Store, will continue to be used in the same way.Meanwhile, The Rear Portion, originally built in 1850 as a barn and blacksmith shop, will become home of Hardy Woodworks, a custom wood furniture and home decor outfit that began in 2015.Work by Hardy and his family on the property focused on making only minimal modifications to the historic structures.Construction work consisted of needed repairs, structure stabilization, addition of insulation – where feasible – and improvements needed to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

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