Millard and Patricia (Patti) Stallings were honored as 2012 "Main Street Champions" at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony in Salisbury.
Millard and Patricia (Patti) Stallings were honored as 2012 "Main Street Champions" at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony in Salisbury.
They were selected by the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation in appreciation of their exceptional contributions to downtown revitalization.
In recommending Millard and Patti for this honor, Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation offered the following:
"Most business transactions are negotiated in board rooms with attorneys and accountants ensuring the I's are dotted and the T's crossed, but Millard and Patricia Stallings purchased Bistro on Third over cocktails with an agreement written on a napkin.
Over an eight-year period, the building at 146 S. Third Street in the heart of Downtown Smithfield had seen a number of restaurants come and go, and in February 2010, Bistro on Third, the latest occupant, was struggling. The Stallings recognized the benefit of having a fine dining establishment downtown and purchased the business the day before the doors were to be closed. For Millard and Patricia, the goal was simply to meet a need that they saw in Smithfield.
Local flavor is apparent at Bistro on Third, where ingredients are purchased from the farmers market, works by local artists are displayed on the walls, and the Third on Third Summer Concert Series is held. Bistro on Third has also hosted book signings for local authors and participated in 'wine walks' to benefit local nonprofits, contributing to downtown Smithfield’s sense of place."
Bistro on Third is a valued asset in downtown Smithfield, as are its owners. It is a privilege to recognize Millard and Patricia Stallings as 2012 N.C. Main Street Champions."