Published: January 24, 2009 06:48 pm      

Booming in Bluewell

BLUEWELL — Traffic hurries along U.S. Route 52 as the week draws to a close. Hamburgers fry at local restaurants while motorists pull into local banks to make deposits or withdrawals. National media is full of gloomy news about the economy, but those dire predictions seem to have missed a section of Mercer County that is anything but sleepy.

Decades ago, Bluewell was only a few homes situated along the road into McDowell County. This situation changed as McDowell residents steadily left the coalfields and settled in this border area near the county line.

One institution that has witnessed a lot of changes is the Bluewell Volunteer Fire Department. Founded in 1953 by Nick Ameli and T.A. “Buddy” Warden, Jr., the fire department now has modern equipment and 22 members, but it took a long time to reach a high standard and keep it.

“My daddy told us that if we put as much time into our businesses as we did the fire department, we’d both be millionaires,” Warden recalled.

A great deal of effort has to go into providing protection for all the homes and businesses now lining the Bluewell section of Route 52.

“Some people say there are about 80 businesses through here,” Warden said. “I counted 58 at one time. There used to be a chicken hatchery above the Kroger, on the left where you turn up Pinnacle View Road.”

One memorable business was the Woodlawn Green House. It’s now gone, but Warden said he can remember multiple glass greenhouses, some 125 feet long.

Yet as some businesses depart, other rise to take their places. One major Bluewell enterprise is EchoStar, a television media provider which employs approximately 475 people at a time.

New businesses such as Rite Aid and New Peoples Bank have established themselves along the highway, but others have deep roots going back decades. Establishments such as Bluewells Family Pharmacy, Lynn’s Drive Inn and Hardware Charlie’s have served residents for years.

Some customers are getting a late lunch at another longtime business, Dick’s Swiss Burger while Manager Brenda Presley, a relative newcomer from McDowell County, explained why she likes her new home.

“I’ve been up here for four years. I’m from Anawalt originally,” she said as co-worker Tonya Prasatek flips big hamburger patties and crowns them with Swiss cheese. “Everything is more convenient up here. You’ve got stores, banks, food places. We just got a new bank, New Peoples Bank.”

Presley recalled how she once had to drive 16 miles to reach anything in McDowell County. Now she can walk to work in 20 minutes if necessary.

“Oh, it’s a great place to live. I love it,” she said. “That (McDowell) is my home down there, but I love it here. I wouldn’t trade it.”

The fact McDowell County residents come to Bluewell for shopping helps explain its growth, but businesses are seeing plenty of North Carolina and South Carolina visitors who come to “four wheel,” or ride their ATVs, Presley said. “We’ve got quite a few regular customers from out of state.”

Visitors who ride ATVs and like large hamburgers and deep fried sub buns also need items for their vehicles — not all of them four-wheelers. Three-wheelers and motorcycle enthusiasts visit, too, said Steve Spencer, co-owner of Mercer County Choppers. Three gleaming motorcycles — one of them a sleek custom bike and other with a ‘Sold’ sign on it — sit in the showroom surrounded by leather accessories and the sounds of machine tools in the back.

“We’re fortunate,” Spencer said. “We have work, and we actually stay pretty busy.”

Open since Sept. 2006, the shop is one of Bluewell’s newer establishments. “We do service, parts, apparel, complete restorations, powder coat in-house and customizing. We sell a great deal of leather and keep a good selection of sizes and styles.”

Spencer said Bluewell is “a great destination.” Besides business from McDowell and Mercer counties, the shop also has customers from Raleigh County and out of state.

The community can keep growing, he said. Traffic coming along Route 52 and nearby Route 20 remains strong.

“All of the doom and gloom on CNN and Fox News is not what we’re seeing,” Spencer said. “West Virginia is much stronger. Our local banks are strong.”

Across the highway from the motorcycle business is a long time establishment, Ameli’s Department Store opened in 1948, said Christina Ameli-Willis. While business has dropped during the last 10 years, it does offer good merchandise and personal service, she said.

“We try to be a specialty shop. We offer personal service,” she said. “We ask them if we can help them, and I even do special orders if there’s special size they need.”

Ameli-Willis remembered when her father moved their family from McDowell County. Only “about two houses” were in the vicinity, but that soon changed.

“He built this first building here,” she said of the store. Besides the many businesses, Bluewell has a Lions Club, the Bluewell Women’s Club and many churches.

Her co-worker Joyce Sarver, who has been there since 1972, added, “We have the most wonderful people here in Bluewell. I feel it’s a safe place. I call this the gateway to the coalfields, and it’s like this is the center.” People often call the department store to ask for directions.

Down the highway toward Bluefield another long lived establishment, Hardware Charlie’s, is getting ready to close for the day. A few last minute customers leave as owner Linda Hurst gets ready for day’s end.

“I don’t know about other people, but our business is fine,” she said, standing in the midst of displays offering everything from collectable knives to stove top burners. Bluewell’s residents and visitors can usually find what they need in their own neighborhood.

“You have your grocery stores, and a lot of churches are available. You can get just about anything,” Hurst said. “We get quite a few out of state people, especially with the ATV traffic.”

The population has grown. Many McDowell County residents moved into Bluewell after major flooding hit their previous homes, plus new developments being built gave them new places to settle, she said.

“There’s a lot of good people in this area,” Hurst emphasized. “Very good people.”

And many of those people, be they new arrivals or long time residents, cannot imagine being anywhere else.

Sometimes there’s talk about incorporating Bluewell, but those discussions don’t go anywhere, Buddy Warden said. There just doesn’t seem any point in doing it.

“We figure that we’ve got all the advantages without the taxation,” he said. “We’re kind of a city without a corporation. We’ve got a fire department, water department, Lions Club, Bluewell Public Service. We have a state trooper who lives here, and county deputies patrol the area real often. We’re pretty much crime free; of course, we do have break-ins for cigarettes and stuff like that. We’ve got a good fire department with 22 members, all new updated tanker and pumpers, and all the firemen have their fire training.”

“It’s convenient, and there are good people here,” Buddy Warden said. He laughed. “I don’t know about reincarnation, but if I do, I’d like to come back to Bluewell.”

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com