HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — The Showplace West building in downtown High Point is still abandoned but not forgotten.

Developers are taking steps to move forward with turning Showplace West into a residential and commercial building, but it could take a while to see some changes. 

According to Forward High Point, it can take several years for everyone involved in a project to be on the same page.

Showplace West is one of those projects. 

Gutted floors, rusty chains and no trespassing signsare indications that Showplace West has been sitting vacant for several years.

But inside the walls, plans are still in the works for the 135,000 square feet of space, which is much needed for food businesses downtown. 

“Bring more people downtown outside of just for the furniture market,” said the owner of Pop’s Mini Doughnut Shop Margaret Headen.

But these development plans are still on paper. The plans could boost Stock and Grian Assembly’s food business which is just a two-minute drive from Showplace West. 

Foot traffic is what business owners are hoping for. 

“I think that any residential that’s coming to High Point … would really help us greatly because the more people moving into High Point, the more traffic we will get,” said the manager for Yumi Sushi Phou Moncus.

“It brings a different crowd of folks … to come in and enjoy the weekend with their friends for music and game night and trivia and things like that,” Headen said.

CMC Development Group has had the property under contract since 2021, but things have changed now. Foward High Point president said interest rates have risen sharply.

“Developers looking at interest rates constantly, but that’s not just showplace West. That’s … nationally what we’re dealing with,” Forward High Point president Rebekah McGee said.

But the CMC Development Group is not slowing down with ideas for the abandoned walls.
They are ideas that could take a decade for people to start seeing at Showplace West.

“As far as timing … we would like it to happen sooner, but in the meantime, I think that will be fine,” Headen said.

The contract for Showplace West will end at the end of August. 

That means the CMC Development Group and Forward High Point will discuss any changes and extensions to the new contract.