After almost two years of rumors, speculation and truth, West Point residents will be able to see the tangible fruition of one man's vision. The Swift Center renovated by local visionary Lynn Davis, will hold it's official grand opening Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m.
"This is the seventh old building that I've restored," said Davis. "The first one I bought and renovated was in High Point (North Carolina). It was actually an old Sara Lee building."
West Point had been the site of the first Swift Company in Mississippi. Butter, cheese and ice cream was manufactured at the full-time dairy and milk processing unit. Trucks collected milk from dairies all over Clay County. Over 50 jobs were provided at the four-story building, which has stood on Main Street since 1928.
Old meets new in the Swift Center. With the two bottom floors sectioned off into units for Swift Climate Control, the new offices of 2 Brothers and Quest Marketing will occupy the next floor along with Davis International.
According to Davis, his family began manufacturing upholstered furniture that has been sold in almost every retail furniture establishment in the United States. The concept that allowed Davis to grow continues to drive their volume to new heights: a privately-held, low-overhead, manufacturer making well-built furniture at exceptional values.
Born in Houlka, Davis worked for his father, a furniture manufacturer, before taking over the family business. Three years ago, Davis started the import portion of the business, Davis International. With plants in Houlka and Okolona, the old Swift building, now Swift Center, will allow Davis to headquarter his operations in West Point.
"West Point feels like my hometown," he explained. "All of my children attend school here, we have a place out at Waverly, we go to church here, (my wife) Tammy works here. And by moving here, none of my employees in Okolona and Houlka will lose their jobs. If anything, this will let us add jobs."
More recently, Davis International has coupled their domestic manufacturing with both imported components and completed wood products from a presentation of totally correlated home collections--living room, dining room, bedroom and family room furniture that all complements each other.
The level of growth that Davis has seen in recent years is unsurpassed in the industry. Davis International is considered in the furniture business as a master of the art of combining exotic wood carvings, complicated and premium construction features such as dovetailing and felt lined drawers.
Davis International also boasts superior fabric combinations due to their buying power and relationships at the supply level.
"The City of West Point was happy to have worked with Lynn Davis on this project" stated City of West Point Mayor Kenny Dill. "The opening of the Swift Center not only is good for economic development and providing jobs, it also adds aesthetic beauty to downtown West Point by eliminating a blighted area. We are proud to welcome Davis International and the Swift Center to our community." |
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