From Empty Storefront to Downtown Anchor: 

The Red Wagon Story

With a passion for revitalizing Downtown Weldon, Andy Whitby began investing in local buildings in 2001.

After years of setbacks—including an empty department store during the Great Recession—he refused to give up.

In 2015, he launched what he called The Lemonade Project—turning a struggling property into an opportunity.

By 2017, a vendor market was born.
By 2022, it had a new name—Red Wagon—inspired by nostalgia, community, and new beginnings.

Today, Red Wagon is more than a market.
It’s a launching pad for small businesses and a driving force in Downtown Weldon’s revival.

With a passion for Weldon’s revitalization, Andy Whitby began buying and rehabbing Downtown Weldon commercial buildings in 2001.

Whitby has bought and held buildings and has sold some to others who had a plan to contribute to the revitalization of Weldon. Buildings he has sold include what is now The Downtown Weldon Apartments, Ivey’s Beauty Salon, Cafe Weldon, and Tap Into Weldon.

Buildings Whitby owns are occupied by Sunshine Grill, Main Attraction Beauty Salon, and Red Wagon.

The Building

The building that now houses Red Wagon was built in the mid 1950s as a Roses Department Store. The name was changed to Super 10 in the 1980s. Whitby bought the building in 2001. In 2008, a Family Dollar store opened a few blocks away. This affected Super 10’s success, and they decided to close in January 2009. This was also during the period now called “The Great Resession”. 

Whitby was left with a big old building that was now empty, costing $1,000 a month in mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance. Attempts to rent and even sell the building were unsuccessful. Most of the prospects were either churches or nightclubs, neither of which was allowed in the town’s zoning. 

On a personal note, Whitby took a second full-time job to earn the money needed to make the payment, taxes, and insurance. He was running an overnight newspaper route, working from 11 pm to 5 am. He would get a few hours of sleep, get up, and go to a second job. Over this period, he did several things to generate income during the day. Running an afternoon paper route, taking photos of cars for car dealerships’ websites, and doing property inspections of homeowners who were behind on their payments, in bankruptcy, or facing foreclosure by mortgage companies. Whitby found this to be a tough job he did not enjoy, but it helped pay the bills.

The Lemonaid Project

After the building sat empty for more than six years, Whitby hatched a plan for the building. He decided that if I couldn’t rent or sell the building, it needed to generate income to cover its expenses. Whitby was still working multiple jobs and felt that a change was needed. 

In the Fall of 2015, Whitby began improving the building with the intention of opening a vendor market. The original idea was to build rooms and booths that vendors would rent. They could be open and attract customers to their store. One idea for the market was that it would serve as an incubator for new businesses. This would allow a startup to grow its business to the point that it could someday occupy a storefront.

During this time, he called this the Lemonade Project. You know, what do you do if you have lemons? You make lemonade. This build had become a lemon, and Whitby needed to do something that would make it better.

After many projects of building room walls, installing doors, building booths, making the restroom wheelchair accessible, and adding an exit door, the building was ready to be occupied. In April 2017, Weldon Town Center Flea Market and Shops, the business’s original name, opened.

Those early days had mixed success. While Whitby had been successful in attracting the first round of tenants, they were required to be present to sell their wares. Since the store had just opened, marketing and advertising had not generated the foot traffic needed to make everyone successful. He then pivoted to the idea that the market provides a cashier and sells the vendor’s merchandise. 

Whitby also began to promote the business with roadside signs. To put the message in as few words as possible, the roadside signs read “Downtown Weldon Flea Market.” Over time, this became the market’s second name, using it in all advertising efforts, from signage to the Facebook page.

Again, over time, the market settled in with three main tenants. One occupied the three rooms on the right, another occupied a booth, and the third occupied about 75% of the building. At this point, the business model shifted back to having vendors sell their own merchandise.

The Best Transition

In December of 2020, the vendor occupying 75% of the building decided it was time for her to grow into her own storefront, and she moved out. Whitby was asked by the other two vendors whether he would be closing. “NO” was the reply. “We’ll start over.”

In January 2021, Whitby began attracting new tenants under a business model of providing a cashier to sell merchandise for vendors, under the name Downtown Weldon Flea Market. By April, the large department store showroom, about 5500 sq ft, was full of about 12 vendors. Those early tenants were an eclectic mix of furniture, collectible glassware, home decor, and tools. During this period, the market was open 3 days a week on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 

Whitby continued to receive requests from those seeking to become vendors, but the market was fully occupied. But there was this big back room or warehouse, about 2500 sq ft, with all these shelves that had been built when the store was a Roses. He kept looking at those shelves, wondering whether vendors would want to rent them and, more importantly, whether customers would go to the back room and shop. By July of 2021, the first row of shelves had been cleaned, the lighting had been improved, and vendors began renting them. They were received very well by vendors and customers alike.

Better Than A Flea Market

By the Spring of 2022, things were going well, but the market had become much more than a flea market. Whitby began to consider changing the name again. 

At the same time, the Town of Weldon had engaged a marketing professional to develop a wayfinding signage program. As part of his services to the Town, he offered to produce suggestions for facade improvements to several downtown buildings. Whitby submitted a request for facade improvements to several of his buildings and applied for a Facade Grant from the town to fund them. 

Whitby discussed his interest in changing the name with the marketing professional, and he agreed to work on some ideas. Whitby described the business as having furniture, collectibles, and vintage and antique items. Whitby also shared that he portrayed Santa Claus and wanted a name that would somehow incorporate the two and evoke nostalgia when customers heard it.

Whitby says, “When I received the email suggesting Red Wagon, I cried”. He felt it was perfect. That name would evoke nostalgia in anyone who received a red wagon from Santa Claus as a child and convey a sense of something vintage and memorable. It would also be a name he could have fun with in marketing and advertising efforts. In October 2022, a ribbon-cutting was held for Red Wagon Eclectic Market, with the tagline “Vintage Finds, Collectibles, and Home Goods.” 

     Red Wagon has become an anchor business in Downtown Weldon through its wide assortment of merchandise and through its steady marketing and advertising efforts. 

Over the years, Red Wagon has been voted among the Best Place to Shop for Antiques, Best Gift Shop, and Best Thrift Store in The Herald’s Readers’ Choice Best of the Best! —proof of the unique mix our amazing vendors bring to the market. 

Red Wagon began collaborating with Riverside Mill, the Antique Mall on advertising.  Several billboards along I-95 have been installed, serving as a game-changer in attracting the traveling public to the businesses. 

Always In Transition

As a vendor market, change is constant. In May 2024, the furniture vendor was ready to open its own storefront. They moved next door into a building that Whitby also owns. This left the large showroom half empty.  This large space was converted into additional booths and rooms, allowing some vendors who had been occupying shelves or small booths to expand into larger spaces. This has also been a good move for those vendors. 

Red Wagon will see more transitions in the future as other vendors are ready to expand and grow into their own storefronts, fulfilling the original idea of this building serving as a business incubator. This is also serving Weldon well, as more businesses are opening downtown, fulfilling Whitby’s passion for revitalizing the area.