 OLD CLARKESVILLE MILL TAKES ON A NEW LIFE
By Jenée Wilde
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 8:21 AM EDT
Two years after purchasing the closed CMI plant, owner Danny Otter has filled all commercial spaces in the Old Clarkesville Mill.
When Otter Construction and Realty Marketing Director Vicki Wineland first walked into the abandoned Clinton Mill Industries plant two years ago, she thought it was cold and dark and scary.
"It's huge!" she said, her voice echoing around the six acres of dank concrete.
A year later, her exclamation became the basis of a successful advertising logo for the Old Clarkesville Mill - a shopping, entertainment and light manufacturing center that has brought the defunct textile plant back to life.
The logo is reminiscent of the old "B" horror films - a 1950s-style woman screaming in terror, the back of her hand to her mouth, with Wineland's first impression blazoned in bold letters.
And "huge" is no exaggeration. Old Clarkesville Mill encompasses 275,000 square feet, a volume of space that is hard to appreciate - or even imagine - from the outside. Real Deals on Furniture, the center's largest retail space, alone houses almost three acres of higher-end home furnishings and Persian rugs at factory outlet prices.
Two years after owner Danny Otter closed on the property, the building's 11 commercial spaces have been filled, with three retail outlets celebrating grand openings on Saturday, Oct. 2. With plans for future development both in and around the building, Otter said the Old Clarkesville Mill has been an unexpected success story.
An unlikely venture
Otter didn't start out wanting the 70-acre mill property. He only wanted 30 feet.
The owner of Otter Construction and Realty had for years thought of building a hotel on five acres he owned next to the textile plant. All he needed was an additional 30 feet for setback from CMI. But the manufacturer wasn't selling.
That is, not until it closed the Clarkesville plant in October of 2001. Then Otter could have his 30 feet and much more for a mere $3 million.
"I told the Realtor, when they're ready to sell it for $750,000, I'll buy," he said.
A year later, Otter's company, Soque River Mills LLC, bought the vacant plant with visions of converting it into a retail and entertainment facility.
"Initially, I thought we could get it ready for about $250,000 to $300,000," he said.
Today, he estimates that more than $2.5 million has been invested in the whole venture.
"I went into it with a lot of faith and optimism and less real practical knowledge than would have been advisable," he said. "From a business standpoint, it's certainly been the most exciting venture of my career."
With six-1/2 acres of leaky roof and malfunctioning storm sewers, Otter soon discovered he bought more than he bargained for.
"I found out the day after we bought it that ... with the change in use we had to update the sprinkler systems to meet codes."
Otter estimated that complying with fire codes alone cost Soque River Mills at least $500,000. "That was a horribly shocking revelation," he said.
For nearly a year, Otter and his staff submerged themselves in an entirely-new challenge - transforming a former textile mill into a vital business center and community resource.
"It's like we just decided to learn a new language and we did it by being dropped in the country without an interpreter," he said. "If I'd tried to do it without this handful of folks helping, they'd probably just be looking for the body."
Not everyone thought Otter's venture would succeed at first, and reactions around the community were mixed.
"The naysayers said they never thought we could pull it off," he said. "Now they love it."
From an emotional standpoint, Otter said they had "incredible encouragement" from former employees of the textile mill. "The amount of money and work it took to get it going far exceeded my initial expectations, but the public reaction to it also did."
While much about the venture surprised him, he hadn't anticipated changing its name. Incorporated as Soque River Mills, the intended name of the center, people in the community continued to call the facility the old Clarkesville mill.
"We finally relented to what the community named it," Otter said.
Current enterprises
From bowling and books to furniture and food, Old Clarkesville Mill has much to offer both bargain hunters and entertainment enthusiasts.
By far, the most floor space is devoted to Real Deals on Furniture, Rugs and Home Decor. The three businesses specialize in volume buying of bedroom, dining and living room furniture, household accessories and authentic Persian carpets to keep overhead cheap, Wineland said.
Real Deals on Home Decor will celebrate its grand opening Saturday with 10-cent hot dogs, 5-cent Cokes and free helicopter rides.
Two other retail outlet stores celebrate grand openings on Saturday - Erin London and Bonjour Switzerland (now closed.) Both outlets are natural offshoots of the companies' other business enterprises located there.
Women's clothing manufacturer Erin London has a wholesale and distribution center in the mill, while Kent Studio manufactures Bonjour's custom-made bed and bath linens on-site from luxury fabrics made at its 180-year-old plant in Switzerland.
"Bonjour liked the idea of being in a place where they manufactured fabrics for years," Wineland said.
Bonjour Switzerland's store is the only retail location for the company in the United States.
Celebrating its one-year anniversary in January, the mill's Art and Antique Mall blends The Art-Full Barn's fine art, supplies and classes with a large variety of antiques and collectibles covering 18,000 square feet.
The mall also stocks a wide selection of new books, courtesy of Discount Books, an Internet bookseller also located in the mill. And starting in October, shoppers can enjoy espresso drinks from a new coffee shop in the mall.
For entertainment, the bowling center offers bowling and billiards seven days a week and on holidays. Hungry recreationists also can grab a slice of pizza or sub sandwiches at the snack bar, located in the bowling center.
"The bowling center has become a great place for social activity," Otter said.
On Halloween, the center will be celebrating its one-year anniversary with a costume contest, cosmic bowling and live bands.
Other businesses located in Old Clarkesville Mill include Custom Signs and Shapes, makers of sandblasted, routed or carved signs; and Pallets on Demand, a highly-technical machine shop that manufactures pallet-making equipment. A conditioned mini-storage also is in the facility.
Coming attractions
Built in 1951, the CMI textile mill employed about 200 people when it closed in 2001. Today, the facility has replaced approximately 50 of those jobs, with more on the way as the property continues to be developed.
"We wanted the mill to be a center for Clarkesville to grow tourism and replace some of the 200-plus jobs lost," Otter said. "We're well on our way to doing that."
Soque River Mills is in the process of developing a 6,500-square-foot convention center in Old Carkesville Mill. Plans are tentative for the center's first event - a reunion of CMI workers in October.
The Habersham Chamber of Commerce Home for the Holidays Bazaar also will be held there in November.
Otter said Habersham Caterers "shook hands" on a deal to build a new restaurant on the cement pond behind the mill. Diners will enjoy the unique experience of "dining over the water," he said.
Also, Otter Construction and Realty is developing an upscale residential community on a mile of Soque River frontage behind the mill.
Plans for the Old Clarkesville Mill Village include a wildlife preserve and an entrance to the Clarkesville Greenways walking trail system.
Since the old mill facility is full, Otter also is considering constructing more professional buildings on the mill campus.
And finally, Otter is getting his hotel. At years end, Microtel will begin construction of a new hotel on his property adjoining the Old Clarkesville Mill - right where he wanted it.
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