WMS13 - Gravy

Formerly known as one of the Pickelsimer buildings, a King Building, and home to the extension of  Patterson’s Department Store

Built around 1905, this Pickelsimer building was constructed as a two-story, brick building with large basement areas under both original storefronts. Although it was built with a second floor height that caused its roof line to be lower than the building to its left (WMS12), it was later reconstructed so that the parapet (walls on the roof to give it a border and to provide decoration and safety) would match the other building. New brick frontage, windows and storefront additions were modifications that were made over the years. Patterson’s Department store constructed a large brick facade over the entire front of this building (housing an extension of the store) and one to its left where the original store was located. This facade covered all second floor windows of both buildings and was eventually removed.  

One of the oldest buildings on Main Street, a lot of the second floor interior was remodeled in the 1940s to include offices with trim work brought from the demolished Lake Toxaway Inn. Today, those offices below to the Platt Architecture firm and many of the office doors and transoms are from the Inn. Quite a few of them still have the original hotel room numbers attached.

Known as the M.M King building in the early years, the City Market occupied the second storefront (WMS13b) and was owned by W.H. Duckworth. In January 1910, some work was being completed in the left storefront in preparation for C.C. Yongue’s grocery store.

The City Market moved across the street to the frame building between Plummer’s (WMN13) and the Clement’s Jewelry Store (WMN16) in February 1922. That space was formerly occupied by E.F. Moffitt. At the time, the building at that location (WMN14) was a framed structure - but it had been torn down by 1924.

That same month, the Bee Hive Barber Shop took over the City Market storefront in this building. It may not have been there long, though. The shop’s last advertisement was in the August 25, 1922 edition of the Brevard News - and it still mentioned their recent move to the former City Market’s building. The Bee Hive first appeared in Brevard in June 1921, taking an ad in the Brevard News to invite customers to their new shop “under Plummer & Trantham’s Store.” This was probably the basement under WMN13a (today’s Highland Books).

Fred Johnson bought Yongue’s in July 1927 and renamed it Johnson Grocery Store.  It must have closed in the fall of 1930 or the spring of 1931, because the City Market moved back into the building - this time taking the Johnson’s space in WMS13a. At the time, the newspaper mentioned that the City Market had, “for a long time” been “operating in the McCrary Building” prior to this move. 

By following clues in the newpapers, it seems that the Canteen Cafe probably moved into the right storefront space vacated by the City Market. Although articles about the City Market  indicated that it had been operating at 41 West Main street, that address was for a different building on the 1931 Sanborn Map. Like other situations, it appears that the Sanborn Map incorrectly listed some Main Street addreses. Evidence indicates that the Canteen may have been in this building for at least a few years prior to 1931, when it moved next door into the Weilt Building. See the chapter about the Weilt building, WMS14, for a lot more about the Canteen Cafe.

In April 1937, the Brevard Shoe Shop moved from the Times Arcade to the right storefront. Although an initial ad mentioned that it was moving into the King building, which was likely WMS14 next door on the right, most ads mentioned that it was “Next Door to Canteen.”  The Canteen was in the Weilt building (WMS14) by now, and Sanborn maps from 1931 indicate that the shoe store would be in the right-side storefront - definitely next door to the Canteen.

Sometime after the War, the second floor was destroyed by a fire. When it was reconstructed, some of the wood used was taken from the Toxaway Inn (destroyed as a result of a 1916 hurricane). At that time, they also raised the building’s roof line to match the buildings on either side of it (WMS12 and WMS14).  

In November 1947, an ad for Parsons Jewelry & Gifts mentioned its new store in the Pickelsimer Building on West Main Street.  The 1952 telephone directory gave its address as 17 West Main.  According to the 1952 Sanborn map, this address identified the right storefront of this building (WMS13b).  However, the stores that the telephone directories and newspaper ads mention couldn’t have been in that building. The 1945 and 1952 Sanborn maps must have used incorrect street addresses.

The clue that the Sanborn addresses are wrong is mainly in the given location (newspaper and telephone directories) for Talley’s Barber Shop. In all cases, Talley’s is shown to be at 17 West Main street. While Sanborn clearly shows 17 West Main as being the right storefront of WMS12 (part of today’s Blast From the Past store), we know that Talley’s was located in the basement of the store to it’s right - this building (WMS13).  Therefore, it’s safe to assume that all mentions of businesses at 17 West Main street in this time period were of businesses located in WMS13 - the present location of the store called Gravy.

Being yet another Pickelsimer building, everything now aligns with occupants reported here and the expansion of Patterson’s into this building.

Ralph’s Auto Supply announced in October 1947 that they were moving from their location on South Caldwell into a “Temporary Location next to Canteen Cafe.” At that time, the Cafe was in the Bagwell building behind the bank. They likely moved there for only a few weeks before the end of the year because an article in the November issue of the Transylvania Times said that Ralph’s was moving into “the new building between Parsons jewelry store and Rose's five and ten cent store.” Rose’s was indeed to the right of this building and had been since 1939. Since we know that Parson’s was in this building at the same time, Parson’s must have been in the left storefront - putting Ralph’s between Parson’s and Rose’s.  In November 1947, Parson’s Jewelry said that they were in their new store “next to Patterson’s.” Since Patterson’s was in the building to the left of this one (WMS12) at that time, Parson’s was in this building on the right side (WMS13b).

Of course, this brings up another question. What was the newspaper referring to when they said that Ralph’s was moving into a new building? The Sanborn Maps from 1945 and 1951 show no changes in the buildings in this block. Perhaps by “building” they meant a remodeled storefront? Or it was simply just a “new building” for them.

A dentist, Dr. Hardin, moved into the building on the second floor over Parson’s Jewelry in January, 1948.

Talley’s Barber Shop placed its first advertisement in the newspaper in December 1948, stating that they were located in the basement between Rose’s and Patterson’s. They were under the left storefront (WMS13a) of this building. In 1951, we know that the Hobby & Sports Shop (WMS13a) had moved here from its location in one of the buildings between WMN13 and WMN19. 

By 1952, Robert W. Melton and J.F. Rackley’s watch repair service had moved in, as had the local draft board. 

It was announced on June 30, 1955 that Holland Talley, owner of Talley’s Barber Shop, had just opened Talley’s Beauty Shop.  Both shops shared the barber shops space in the basement under the left storefront.

In 1957, Mr. Hamlin (attorney), Dr. Roy Keith, and H.R. Cohen’s dental lab had moved in. Orr’s real estate office was still there.  This same year, both Rackley’s (now Rackley’s Jewelry) and The Hobby & Sports Shop closed their doors due to bankruptcy.

Pat’s, a shoe shop operating for only a month or so in the former Rose’s 5-10-26 cent store next door (WMS14), moved into the right side of this building around September 1958. However, in 1959 he moved back to the Weilt building (WMS14). See the chapter on that building for more details about Pat’s. 

Between 1958 and 1963, the store vacated by Pat’s was occupied for a short while by the Transylvania Democrats. For Christmas 1958, several local clubs decorated windows of empty storefronts. The former Pat’s storefront was decorated by the Blantyre club, sponsored by Gaither’s restaurant.  In 1963, Ayer’s Store (across the alley on this side of the street) had a fire. For a short time afterwards, Ayer’s held a “fire sale” in temporary this space. Further research is needed to find out who occupied this space after Ayer’s moved out. Occupants for the time period from Ayer’s departure in 1963 until 1995 are unknown.

August 1962 saw Cato’s clothing store moving into the left storefront. Research uncovered no businesses in this space between Hobby & Sport’s Shop’s departure in 1957 and Cato’s arrival in 1962.

Hamlin & Ramsey, attorneys, advertised their offices on the second floor above Cato’s in January 1964.

In 1969, the first appearance of a store in the right side basement happened when The Charm Cellar opened.  October 1970 saw that same space occupied by Hole In The Ground, selling jeans and things for “the groovy people in your life.” Today, the walls of this basement area still show some of the paint on the walls from Hole In The Ground.

Around 1973, Patterson’s Men’s Shop opened in the space vacated by Cato’s, which had closed in 1971 to move to East Main street (EMS14). Patterson’s kept their space in the building for a long time - at least until 1987. 

Brevard Clothier’s replaced Patterson’s Men’s Shop in the left storefront in September 1991, but vacated in April 1992 to move to Patterson’s space in the building to it’s left (WMS12).

Carolina Realty remodeled and opened an office in the right-side, formerly Pat’s, around February 1995. After only a few mentions in the newspaper over a month or so, there were no other times that this location was given - only their location on North Broad street.

Photos included in Platt’s acquisition deed show that the Heritage Antique Mall was in the left storefront in 2005. It may also have been occupying the right storefront, but there is nothing conclusive to show that.

Gravy opened on May 6, 2006 as project of the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County. In the newpaper, it was said that the goal was to provide “something additional or unexpected that is pleasing or valuable.” [20060508-TT] It had thirty-two booths that allowed vendors to sell their work while contributing funds for the Club. At the time, it occupied one-half of the Heritage Antique Mall.

Gravy was still in this space as of Spring 2026. They use both old storefronts as a single store and occupy both basement areas to the left and right of the central staircase from Main street.

Property Ownership

Not much is known about the ownership prior to 1967 because deeds for this property (and the one to its left, WMS12) didn’t mention prior deed references. Another deed didn’t mention the property and a third one listed an older deed that didn’t describe the property.

In 1967, a deed (DB 174/33) transferred the property by auction to Patterson’s of Brevard on August 30. The sale included all of WMS12, SBW11, all of this building (WMS13) and various alleys and easements.

All of these were sold by Patterson’s in 1998 to the Brevard College Corporation. Eight months later, Brevard College sold both WMS12 and WMS13 to Timothy T. Dillen. Dillen divided both properties into condominiums so that they could be individually owned and sold:

• Unit 1 was established to be the first floor of WMS12, where Blast from the Past is today.

• Unit 2 is the second floor of WMS12, used by the current building owners for storage today.

• Unit 3 is the first floor of WMS13, where Gravy is located today

• Unit 4 is the second floor of WMS13, currently in use by the building’s owner - Platt Architecture.  Platt also occupies the second floor of WMS14.

• Unit 5 is the basement areas of WMS13, currently used for storage.

See the section “Building Converted to Condominiums” in the WMS12 chapter for more information about that building.

In November, 2003, Dillen sold Units 1, 3, and 5 to Platt Holding Group, LLC. Platt then owned the first floor of today’s Gravy and the first floor and basement of this building.

On February 25, 2005, Platt Holding Group, LLC acquired the entire building from the Patterson Professional Building Owners Association and Mystic Point, LLC. Prior to this sale (see note below regarding the actual date it was recorded), the building had been divided into condominiums. This allowed separate ownership of each condo. Unit 3 was the first floor, Unit 4 the second, and Unit 5 the basement. Platt’s acquisition removed their designation as condominiums as they acquired the entire building - all three former condos. Although the deed was signed on this date, it wasn’t recorded until August 7, 2006. Days before it was recorded, an deed was signed and recorded that transferred the present-day Gravy site (WMS12) to Mystic Pointe, LLC.  

Today, Platt Holding Group, LLC owns all of WMS13 and all of this building, WMS14. They also own several other nearby buildings, including WMS16 and WJN14.

The Platt architecture firm occupies the entire second floors of both this building and WMS14 next to it. The spaces have been opened between them and the area has been beautifully remodeled.