Union County Real Estate Talk

“Discover Stallings” is a Rich Resource for Stallings NC Residents and Newcomers

Know your town and shop local.  This could be the slogan of the new website called Discover Stallings.  Created by the Town of Stallings, the website offers tidbits about Stallings NC events and history as well as a list of local businesses.  The purpose of the website is to identify and promote current businesses in the town as well as promote increased business and commercial development.

Although I’ve lived in Stallings for almost ten years,  I learned quite a bit from the Discover Stallings website.  Here are a few tidbits…

• Stallings is now the third largest town in Union County NC.
• Stallings was incorporated in 1975 but the area’s history goes back to the early 1900s when two Stallings brothers bought large tracts of land for farming.
• Stallings was a cotton growing and trading center with its own train depot until the Depression.
• A gristmill operated in the Stevens Mill area of Stallings as early as the 1700s.  The Blairs operated the mill from 1789 until 1849 until they sold it to the Stevens family, who operated it for another 100 years.  Unfortunately, the mill site itself is located in Indian Trail.
• Stallings has some large and unique industries.  CEM is the world’s leading provider of innovative microwave technology.  AEP makes polyethylene packaging films and is the leading producer of silage bale wraps.  ICE is the largest manufacturer of pile driving and drilling equipment in North America.  McGee Corporation is the leading supplier in America of gas station canopies.

Check out Discover Stallings yourself to learn a little more about the small town at Charlotte’s doorstep.

Want to know more about real estate and living in Union County NC?  Request a free Union County relocation package.

Copyright 2011.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *”Discover Stallings” is a Rich Resource for Stallings NC Residents and Newcomers*

Find Fresh Produce Every Day in Stallings NC

I live in Stallings NC.  There’s a lot to like about living in Stallings.  It’s a small quiet town that’s about half suburban and half country.  It has a great location where Union County NC meets Mecklenburg County NC. Because there are four interchanges with I-485 adjacent to the town, I have easy access to South Charlotte or the University area.  The towns of Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC with their community festivals and shopping are Stallings’ neighbors.

What I like best about summertime living in Stallings is that I can buy fresh, locally grown produce every day.  There are two produce stands in Stallings, one on each side of Highway 74, which bisects the town.  You’ll find McClain’s at 15732 Idlewild Road in the northern part of Stallings and Providence Produce Market beside the Rock Store on Old Monroe Road in the southern part of town.

McClain’s Produce is my favorite. It’s family-owned and operated by several generations of the McClain family.  Every year I eagerly anticipate the day when local tomatoes will be available at the stand.  I bought some yesterday.  It’s too early for local field-grown tomatoes but the stand has tomatoes grown in a local greenhouse.  A delicious addition to my sandwiches at lunch.

McClain’s is open Tuesday through Saturday.  On Fridays, baked goods and boiled peanuts are available.  If you want your green beans snapped for you or your pole beans shelled for you, call ahead.  The telephone number is 704-882-1342.

Other nearby produce markets are the Matthews Farmers Market, which is open on Saturday mornings year-round, and the Mint Hill Farmers Market.

Want to know more about real estate and living in Stallings NC?  Click here to request a free Stallings NC relocation package.

Copyright 2011.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Find Fresh Produce Every Day in Stallings NC*

Grand Asia Market Comes to Stallings NC

Stallings NC is a small southern town.  Country to the core.  If you want something to eat, you’re most likely to find barbecue and slaw or fried fish and hushpuppies.  Or perhaps some fast food out on the Boulevard.

Now there’s an alternative to our familiar southern foods.  The Grand Asia Market just opened at Potters Square in Stallings.  Part grocery store and part restaurant, Grand Asia offers foods not typically found anywhere in Charlotte.  A former Winn Dixie store has been remodeled to house a huge variety of Asian foodstuffs, seafood and meats, and produce.

A cloud of red lanterns welcomes visitors who step inside the market doors.  The brightly lit interior includes an eat-in restaurant straight ahead and shelves of all manner of noodles, rices, sauces and other Asian ingredients in the middle with produce, meat and seafood lining the walls.  Grand Asia Market even has its own bakery for Asian breads.

How fresh are the fish at Grand Asia Market?  They’re so fresh they’re still swimming.  The market has three large tanks of live tilapia, striped bass and catfish.  Choose your fish for tonight’s dinner and the butchers will prepare them for you.  You can also choose from rows of other types of fish and seafood laid out on ice.

Unusual types of meats are also available.  You can try several varieties of chickens and ducks plus a number of cuts of pork not found in the average supermarket. Most of the dry goods at Grand Asia are Chinese, but the store stocks some goods from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and the Philippines.

So the next time you’re in Stallings and you are hungry, forget the barbecue.  Drop by the Grand Asia Market for some Chinese hot dishes or some take-out.  Enjoy the experience, y’all.

Grand Asia Market is located at 4400 Potters Road in Stallings.  The market is open 10am to 8pm  Monday through Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

Want to know more about real estate and living in Stallings NC?  Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.

Copyright 2011.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Grand Asia Market Comes to Stallings NC*

Stallings NC Lifestyle—Photo Tour of Stallings Fest

Ninety degree weather didn’t stop hundreds of Stallings NC residents from enjoying the town’s first ever fall festival last Saturday.   Stallings Fest took place at the Stallings Municipal Park, located across from Stallings Town Hall.

Enjoy these photos of the day’s activities.

Sidewalks in the park were lined with local vendors.

Festival goers could find shady spots in the park to relax.

A hula hoop contest was one of the activities for children.

Several bands provided music throughout the day at the band shell.

Carnival food and rides added to everyone’s enjoyment.

Want to know more about living and real estate in Stallings NC and surrounding small towns?  Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Stallings NC Lifestyle—Photo Tour of Stallings Fest*

Kings Garden Center in Stallings NC

At 97 degrees, today is the hottest day of 2009 and most of us won't venture very far from our air-conditioned homes and offices.  But if you are brave enough to go outside, you'll find that Kings Garden Center in Stallings NC has plenty of blooming plants to enjoy.  Kings Garden Center is one of my favorite Charlotte-area garden centers.  It is located at 524 Stallings Road in the heart of Stallings NC near the Town Hall and the Stallings Municipal Park.  A stroll through the garden center is a pleasure even on the hottest days because most of the plants are placed in light shade under tall pine trees.

Kings Garden Center in Stallings NC is a comprehensive garden center offering shrubs, trees, vines, annuals and perennials.  The annuals and perennials are grown at the Kings Greenhouse-Wholesale Division, located a few miles away in northern Union County.  Experienced gardeners know that locally grown plants have a much better chance of success in your garden than those trucked in from other states.  Kings' long-time, knowledgeable employees can help you make the right plant choices for your garden and offer you a wide variety of quality plants to choose from.

Newcomers to the Charlotte area soon learn that fall is the best time to plant shrubs and trees.  Summer's heat and humidity fade away and anything planted in the fall is not subject to summer's stress.  Now is a great time to begin planning for your fall landscaping projects.  You'll find a large number of shrubs and trees in stock.  I love to go to Kings Garden Center in the springtime too.  Their greenhouse is filled with flat after flat of perennials and annuals.  The selection is awesome and because the employees know how to take care of the plants, they are in good shape when you leave the garden center.  You'll also find pottery and concrete products for your planters as well as tropicals and indoor plants.

Stop by Kings Garden Center in Stallings NC.  I think you'll enjoy your visit no matter what the temperature is outside.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Kings Garden Center in Stallings NC*