The Reflector

Media Credit: Anna Sanders Construction workers finish laying bricks for the exterior facade of the Central Station Development near Lampkin and Montgomery streets.

As the saying goes, "What's old is new again," and that can soon be said about the old Borden Milk Plant on the corner of Lampkin and Montgomery streets.

The dilapidated Starkville property has acted as an eyesore for years, but owners Jeremy Tabor and Dan Curran have a new vision in mind for what could become the new hot spot in town.

Encompassing 40,000 square feet and featuring two stories, both Tabor and Curran plan to turn the old-fashioned creamery into a modern business venture.

Tabor said the dilapidated factory always had potential in his eyes.

"I drove past that place daily and I kept noticing it, and then I noticed it was for sale," Tabor said. "It has exposed bricks, cedar beams and a lot of character."

Once sold, Tabor looked into the history of the property. Built in 1926, Tabor said the building played a vital role in Southern culture.

"This building has a lot of history, and it used to be the place for farmers to bring their milk from all over the area," he said. "The Borden plant had helped make Starkville the dairy capital of the mid-south for close to twenty years."

The renovated plant will house numerous businesses and extra office space.

Anchoring the commercial space will be long time student favorite The Cotton District Grill. The newly named Grill at Central Station plans to open at the beginning of 2010.

EatWithUs owner group John Bean said the move is an opportunity the restaurant could not pass up.

"When the opportunity to partner with Jeremy Tabor on Central Station came about we thought it was a great fit [because] all of Jeremy's projects are first class," Bean said. "We have leased from Dan Camp and he has been a great landlord, neighbor and customer but we are bullish on Starkville and want to be there a long time and owning our restaurants is important to us."

Bean said the change in residence will also allow the restaurant to expand on many different fronts.

"We will have 80 [parking] spaces dedicated to the Grill at Central Station," he said. "The restaurant will be almost triple the size of where we are in the Cotton District and will have a banquet space for up to 80."

MSU graduate and frequent Cotton District Grill attendee Josh Dodd said he thinks the new location will benefit the restaurant's patrons and possibly the city.

"The Grill is one of my favorite places to eat in town, but every time you go you feel like you may hit someone or something because parking is so tight," Dodd said.

Boardtown Bikes will also move to the development in early 2010.

Boardtown owner Jan Morgan said while her business is barely a year old, it was time for a move.

"Our current location only has about 1,200 square feet for our show room and another 1,200 square feet for storage," Morgan said. "Our new location will have over 5,000 square feet and will leave us plenty of room to grow."

While the new location will most likely have less foot traffic compared to the Cotton District and her current site, Morgan said she is not concerned.

"I believe having the Grill next to us will bring in a lot of people into the new location. Plus, we are not that far from where we are currently," she said. "I don't expect much of a problem at all with business, and I think we'll see a real positive effect from this move."

Bean echoes Morgan's sentiment and said he believes more businesses will make the move downtown.

"We have enjoyed being located in the Cotton District for almost 20 years, but downtown Starkville is quickly turning into a destination for dining and entertainment," Bean said

Tabor said about 12,000 square feet of office space remains to be leased or sold.

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