Terrific I-95 Traffic: Riverside Mill is at North Carolina’s I-95 Exit 173, which is the intersection of U.S. Highway 158 and I-95. This is the principal commercial Roanoke Rapids Exit, and is a major overnight stopover for I-95 travelers, with hundreds of hotel rooms, including a newly expanded 6 story Hampton Inn. The exit also features a Starbucks, Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesdays, Lone Star Steakhouse, Ralph’s Barbeque, Logan’s Roadhouse, Ryan’s Grill, and most fast food chains. The traffic count on I-95 at this Exit is 41,000 vehicles daily. The traffic count on U.S. 158 at I-95 is 22,000 vehicles daily.
Extensive Advertising: Riverside Mill has multiple billboards on I-95, with excellent placement just before the Exit for both Northbound and Southbound travelers. We also have three billboards directing travelers from Exit 173 to our front door. Interstate travelers represent about half our traffic. They enjoy stopping to shop for antiques and artisans products, particularly where the stop can be combined with a meal or an evening’s rest. The Halifax County Tourist Center, which has its new Tourist Center at Exit 173, has arranged for our rack cards to be displayed in Interstate Highway Visitor Centers statewide.
Great Local Recreation & Retirement Population: The Roanoke Rapids area, population 150,000, includes a portion of the “Lake” population surrounding Lake Gaston, Roanoke Rapids Lake and Kerr Lake. Riverside Mill is the only specialty shopping location destination in the region.
Riverside Mill – The Only Specialty Shopping in the Region: Riverside Mill is the first opportunity a southbound traveler will have to see antiques in North Carolina, which also has a heritage of fine American Craft. Some of the nation’s most respected craft guilds and craft schools are in North Carolina, but there is no competing outlet for their products on the I-95 corridor.
Professional Management Team: Riverside Mill is owned principally by Unbridled Enterprises, LLC, which, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, has acquired and renovated numerous properties over the last fifteen years, including several historic renovations. Our Manager & Gallery Director, John Carver, studied Art & Advertising Design at the East Carolina University School of Art and has extensive retail management experience having served as General Manager with several large retail chains.
No One Will Be Bored by Their Visit to Riverside Mill: In addition to the shopping opportunity, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a meal or other refreshments, walk by the river, and watch and hear passing trains on the historic Weldon trestle. Also, the Historic Roanoke-Weldon Canal Trail, a seven-mile long walking trail, passes across the front of Riverside Mill. The most outstanding feature of the trail, the Chocoyotte Creek Aqueduct, is a 15-minute walk from the Mill. River Falls Park, which features beautiful views of the river and its rapids, is a five-minute walk from the Mill.
Riverside Mill Is Being Designed To Enhance the Shopping Experience: The original 1899 Mill was a water-powered cotton mill, drawing water from the Roanoke-Weldon Canal and discharging the water into the Roanoke River channel that forms the rear boundary of the Mill (hence, the new name “Riverside Mill”). World-renowned architect Harry Merritt designed the retrofitted space to be a place where visitors will enjoy their stay, linger, and return for more than just the shopping. Riverside Mill opened with 20,000 square feet devoted to antique merchants and a 10,000 square feet Gallery for artisans products. These spaces are adjacent, but the Gallery space is elevated, so shoppers within that space have an overview of the antique mall on one side, and a view of the riverside on the other. On the lower level, another 13,000 square feet is home to the Riverside Shoppes. The outdoor Observation Deck, lounge areas, benches, variety of merchandise, and natural riverside area allows visitors to refresh themselves and prolong their visit.
Commitment to Success: Management of Riverside Mill fully understands that its success depends on the success of its merchants and craft artists. Therefore, we must (1) generate traffic for you through advertising and our prime location, (2) operate the Mill in a manner that creates an outstanding shopping environment, and (3) provide outstanding customer service to our shoppers. If we do these things, we believe that we, our crafts artists and our merchants will succeed at Riverside Mill.
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