CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – From a bold belt buckle to his signature cowboy hat, Deion King knows a thing or two about flair, and now he’s making his mark in New Bern after purchasing the historic Elks temple.
“It’s amazing, it’s a dream come true,” King said.
King is the owner of western wear ‘King & Lasso’ and is also no stranger to the city, growing up just down the road from the historic building.
“I’ve been here my entire life and grew up here and been gone for 11 years and came back after the army,” King said.
There were plans for the historic five-story property to become a boutique hotel last fall. But those plans were scrapped, and the Elks building was put on the market.
In June, King bought the building for around $3 million in cash, and now he says he has some big plans for the property.
“We want to do a lot of commercial space and help small businesses. So, any small business owners, we’ll try to help those guys out. We’re growing and providing job opportunities for the community,” King said.
King also plans on adding residential space and even an upscale steakhouse that will be located on the first floor, he says.
But he and his general contractor, Jay Ammon, say there’s a lot of work that needs to be done first inside, which is why they have a $30 million budget.
“It’s a mess, an absolute mess. There’s a lot of work to be done. Structurally, it’s decent, but we’re going to have to do a lot of structural stuff in there,” Ammon said.
Both say they have no plans on changing the exterior of the building and wish to preserve the historical building.
The reason King says he bought the Elks Temple building is so he can help bridge a gap in the community.
“In this neighborhood, I used to pass the building all the time. I was considered low-class and barely branching into the middle class. I want to actually provide opportunities for people coming out of these lower-income communities,” King said.
King says he hopes to finish the project in the next three years and is also looking at other properties in New Bern with plans on building a western-style speakeasy.
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