New Building Owners Bringing Big Ideas & Business to Downtown Union City
Main Street Union City is thrilled to welcome Jennifer Cagle and Greg Sturgeon to the downtown community. They have just purchased the old Morgan-Verhine Clothing Store, located at 210-212 S. First Street.
Sturgeon is the Vice President of Automation at Vaughn Electric Company and Cagle is the business owner of Deep South Boutique, which will move into the building after the new year.
“We are so excited to finally be in the downtown business district,” said Cagle. “I have always dreamed of having my own store in one of these historic downtown buildings, and now that dream is becoming a reality. I can’t wait to expand Deep South Boutique in this amazing space.”
Cagle and Sturgeon have big plans for this building, including renovating and restoring it to its historical charm.
“This building has so much potential to be anything we can dream up,” said Sturgeon. “The first thing we are going to do is refurbish the old Morgan-Verhine neon sign we found on the third level. That will definitely be making its way back on to the side of the building or showcased inside the store.”
In the 1880s, J.P. Verhine started the first department store in Union City. It was the first store of its kind in the region. Then, in 1904, J.P. Verhine and Jim Morgan established a department store, Morgan-Verhine, on First Street, which operated throughout the 1950s1. Since then, it has been a variety of shops and is the perfect spot for an expanding boutique like Deep South.
Deep South Boutique has been open since 2020 and currently offers a great variety of chic, casual clothing, jewelry, unique gift items and high-quality handbags. With the larger space, however, Jennifer will be able to expand her options to include shoes, “Mommy & Me” items, and even a neat collection of home good items, including a section catered to Union City.
“I am already ordering items to move into the store soon after the current tenant vacates,” said Cagle. “We do not want to have an empty building, so it will be a quick turnaround for us. After some renovations and updates to the interior, we are hoping to have our doors open by spring 2024.”
Main Street Executive Director, Katie Graves, shared her excitement on how this lines up perfectly with Main Street’s mission of revitalizing the economy, enhancing the historical charm and preserving the architectural heritage of downtown.
“This is what we are all about at Main Street,” said Graves. “Having a building owner who is not only going to pour all their love and care into restoring this classic building, but also bring in a successful business – we could not have asked for anything better. The board and I are so excited to welcome Deep South Boutique to historic downtown Union City, and we can’t wait to see what they bring to our community and the economic impact they will have on our downtown.”
Deep South Boutique will remain open at its current location, 1119 S. First Street, Union City, until the move in early 2024.
For more information on Main Street Union City, please visit mainstreetunioncity.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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