It took even less time for commissioners to give the go-ahead on designs for high-value single-family homes and two "pods" of row house town homes.
At a special combined session Monday night, Blaine East and other partners displayed big, full color images to show what they had in mind for Carthage. Little River was a sleepy horse farm years ago when the town bought enough of it to build a municipal golf course.
Later, Carthage sold it at a profit to developers. Husband and wife team Bobby and Barbara Blanche built twin condominium buildings and a clubhouse in time to open and sell out for last year's U.S. Open in Pinehurst.
Now new partners intend a multimillion-dollar expansion, adding a major chain hotel (their pictures show a Sheraton, though it could be another firm), a number of residential neighborhoods and, across N.C. 22, a shopping mall complete with movie theater.
East, who has built many malls, said this one will be different from all the rest. He plans to move here to live.
"Oh, yes," East said. "I've already picked my lot. We are actually getting ready to open an office in Southern Pines. We'll be neighbors."
His son is now joining East in the mall business.
"He grew up around the business," he said. "He came out of college and went to work -- and I think this is what did it -- he went to work for a friend of mine in a bank. Stayed there six months. One day he says, 'Dad, I'm ready.' I said, 'Ready for what?' -- but I knew what he was talking about. He started at the bottom, as a mall clerk. You don't have tenants, you don't have a mall."
Raleigh, where East and his brother have a lot of interests, has seen malls open and malls close. East has high hopes, rock-solid confidence in the future at Little River.
Bad News: In Robbins, Northern Moore Tomorrow (NMT) has had a bit of bad news.
A company NMT paid to make woven throws that NMT sold to raise money for the Old Elise Depot project went out of business.
"We paid Riddle and Co. for three dozen throws," said NMT President Noah Phillips. "They told us it would take 30 days. On April 3, they got the money, so we were expecting them by May 4. When I called, I kept getting Capital Bank."
It took many a call for Phillips to reach anybody who could even take a guess at what happened after the company apparently closed its doors.
"I thought our order might be just laying around somewhere," he said. "Maybe the people from the bank would not know where they were supposed to go."
NMT sent $963 to pay Riddle at $25 apiece plus sales tax for three dozen tapestry-like throws depicting scenes from Robbins centered on the depot.
"It may not be a lot of money for somebody," Phillips said. "It is a lot of money for us, because we will either have to pay double to get them made or refund twice that amount. I talked to a Mr. Gregg with the bank."
Prospects do not look very promising, Phillips was told.
"I suspect they were never made," Gregg said.
Phillips was ready to drive up to the plant to look around.
"I may not be able to tell you how to get there," he said. "But I can take you straight to their door."
It may not be a trip worth taking, if Gregg is right. In the meantime, Phillips holds out the slim hope of finding some other company that perhaps might be willing to make the tapestries at cost in order to help with the project.
John Chappell can be reached at 783-5841 or by e-mail at jchappell@thepilot.com.
