News & Media

Unfinished Business No More for Mack on Main

 

From Ben Gibson, Mooresville Tribune 

Mack on Main won’t be just a place for business in Mooresville as it is a part of a family’s history and for Ron Mack, a bit of unfinished business that is now done.

“It’s a milestone and brings back a lot of memories because he and I (his father, S. Mitchell Mack) were partners in the building and he is such a big part of this building’s history. It’s an emotional time but it has a great deal of meaning,” Ron Mack said. “It was something he wanted done and something I wanted to do, it just took me a decade and a half to get it done.”

The Macks hosted an open house on Friday in Mooresville that served as a chance not just to show off the businesses downstairs or the office space upstairs that hadn’t been utilized in 60 years, but a chance to tell the family’s story as well.

The building was constructed in 1925 by C. Robert Johnson on the site of the former Central Hotel and would later be acquired by Ron’s grandfather, Side Mack, in 1941 so that John Mack & Sons could expand. In 2003, Ron Mack acquired his uncle’s stake in the building and he and his father Mitchell Mack discussed renovations but ultimately were unable to make them before Mitchell’s death in 2017. But after Mitchell Mack’s passing in 2017, Ron Mack would make sure that business was no longer left unfinished.

In 2020, the work began to transform the space inside of the building on the 100 block of North Main Street into what Ron and Mitchell believed it could be. The renovations include a new roof, skylights, HVAC, plumbing, bathrooms, elevator and sprinkler system, while still preserving much of the building’s historic nature.

“Today is not about a building but a man and the way he lived his life. He believed in honesty, integrity, family, faith, hard work and service to the community,” Ron Mack said, speaking about his father, Side Mitchell Mack.

And that story of the family doesn’t end with Ron Mack, even as the building he said was still a work in progress as renovations and restoration continue to the 4,600 square feet of space.

“Watching my dad pour his heart and soul into this project over last three years, reminds me of the value of hard work that’s so deeply instilled into this family,” Ron’s daughter, Allie Mack said. “This restoration was a labor of love, and the result is the most beautiful office, restaurant, and retail space on Main Street. It’s cool to see it come to life again.”