DICKSON, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new wave of creativity thrives inside a building in Dickson that once had workers cranking out stylish jeans followed by Christmas ornaments that got displayed in the White House.

"This is one of a kind and you can never rebuild something like this," explained developer Ron Runyeon.

He purchased the 96,000 square-foot Mulberry Mill in 2017. It has commercial spaces along with a coworking section, commercial kitchen, and room for events. Runyeon said they also plan to donate a portion of Mulberry Mill's top floor to a local nonprofit.

"We cater to the people in Dickson, not so much somebody coming out from California to have their wedding," Runyeon said, adding that they're already seeing success with spaces rented out.

Runyon owns a lot of real estate and says it's easier to build something brand new but walking into the Mulberry Mill he was up for a challenge.

"Sometimes you open up something and you're like oh my gosh I never knew this now we're going to have to fix all this. But sometimes you open the door and you see this and you're like this is pretty spectacular," he said.

Runyon pointed to the original floors where he said you can still find needles from the building's original business.

In 1932 - Henry I. Siegel put an ad in a Nashville newspaper stating that if a town would provide him a building he would bring 500 jobs making clothes for a brand called "HIS jeans." The Dickson County Chamber of Commerce took Siegel up on his offer.

"For years and years and years they made jeans here," said Runyeon. "After that Jim Marvin made Christmas ornaments and he did Christmas ornaments for the White House."

From decorating the home of U.S. presidents to helping denim lovers stand out, the Mulberry Mill building has fostered creativity.

"I think there are so many people in the creative business and when you walk in this building there's a vibe."

For this developer from a small town himself, vibes are important to help people step back in time.

"For me to walk down the street and say hey, hello, and you know so many people it's important."

Additionally, he explained that having a good feeling about a place can also lead to success.

"A gentleman by the name of Ed Stallman had called me in about 1980 or so and he saw something in this little town called Franklin and he called me and said Ron I think I just bought downtown Franklin. I remember going there looking around and saying he must be seeing something that I'm not seeing and then some 40 years later I got out of my car looked around {Dickson} and said this is fantastic.. this is a franklin waiting to happen."

Runyeon says he believes in Dickson and seeing it thrive.

"We bought this {Mulberry Mill} in 2017. Then I bought 202 North Mulberry six months later. Then a year later we bought the High Cotton building and a year after that we bought 124 Main street."

He hopes with the help of local residents they can build something that benefits local families.

"What's beautiful — all the work that we've done the people that we've used for this are all from Dickson," he said. "It speaks of what the Dickson community has created and we're a small part of that."

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/mulberry-mill/