Southside opened almost exactly three years ago, and is without question the current
prize jewel of this operation. The previous occupant was apparently a Harris
Teeter where, reputable sources insist, a store manager was shot to death in
his office. Bellwether Snacks/Healthy Hippie Market were subsequently able to
lease it for a song, though not so much because of this shooting, rather that
at this time, this was somewhat of a downtrodden, forgotten district.
Credit goes to Duane Hatley and an assist to owner Walter Locke for being visionaries, and recognizing that this
would soon enough become a revitalized, trendy zone. Now, with HHM a crucial if
not the original modern tenant pumping fresh blood into this region, the rebound has already begun.
Understandably enough, nobody was exactly clamoring to fill that office where
the shooting transpired, which is one reason it became an employee restroom, in
a hallway behind the conference room. But at least there aren't any reports of a
haunting (Palmyra claims all sorts of paranormal activity, however, odd as it
seems), which is amazing for a building with this kind of history.
