As a boy, Roland Wise and his classmates sneaked cigarettes onto the old Bank of Waldo building's steps, and scratched their names into its red bricks. Two decades after he moved away from Waldo, the two-story red brick building on State Road 24 beckoned Wise home.
Wise, an artist and writer who recently moved back to Waldo from Los Angeles, bought the building after seeing it on sale on a visit home in November 2006 and is renovating it for use as an art gallery and coffee shop. "When I rounded the corner and saw the building up for sale, I said, 'Oh my God, I'm buying that building and I'm moving home,' " Wise said.
In late July, Wise hopes to open 301-24, a play on the two major highways that criss-cross the small city. The building, which was built in 1913, most recently housed an antique store, and has also been home to a hardware store.
Since buying it about three months ago, Wise said he's been spending 16-hour days getting it ready to open. He has preserved the original tile stoop at the entrance, and is in the process of building a courtyard with outdoor seating on the south side of the building. Several of his paintings are hung on the exposed-brick wall inside, and there's gallery space to accommodate several other artists.
Wise has purchased an old U.S. 301 highway sign he plans to display in the store and said he hopes the highway theme will convince drivers to do something they may not have done for years: Stop in Waldo.
"Typically, Waldo has been a victim to all this speed-trap stuff," Wise said. "To hear people in town talk, drivers just fly through here without stopping. I want to give them something to slow down for."
Wise said he hasn't had to do much advertising to spread the word. "My mom's the beautician in town," Wise said. "If you want to start a rumor, you just tell her."
Now that Wise is here, he plans to stay. He's renovating a 2,500-square-foot space upstairs for a living loft for himself. He said the renovation process has reminded him of the benefits of growing up in a small town. "I've gotten green lights from everyone at every step of the process," Wise said. "People have been so supportive. Every day, someone from my past stops in, from old friends to my old babysitter. And every time someone stops by, they say, I can't wait until you're open.' "
Waldo Mayor Louie Davis said he's among them. "We're really looking forward to it," Davis said. "He's making some good improvements over there, and I think it'll add some good positive effects to the town. And Roland, he just moved back to Waldo. We're glad to see him come home."
Amy Reinink can be reached at 352-374-5088 or reinina@gvillesun.com
