Text · Greer Heritage Museum collection

1898: Barbershop, an outbuilding, and a shed

The 1898 Sanborn Fire map shows a small single-story brick building, which holds a barbershop. The building is about half the depth, and a little more than half the width, of each of the three big brick storefronts lined up to its north.
At the time, this address is listed as 412. However, the map seems to indicate that the name "Emma Street" continues on this side of Main down to the Trade Street corner; the address, then, was likely 412 Emma Street.
Behind is a very small single-story wood outbuilding. Behind that, a long and narrow wood shed. Its back side is up against the brick store to the north side; its front is open, a three-sided shed of the sort you would see on a farm.
The lot beside it to the south is empty, with a well.

The January 1904 map shows that the prior buildings have been removed, and this lot now holds the end of four buildings in a row that house People's store.
The 1979 SC historic property record states that the building was built for F. C. Owens as a company store for Victor Mill.
R. M. Hughes was manager of the Peoples Store.
The lot to the south now holds C. W. Drace, photographer, in a small wood building.

By February 1911, 412 Emma is the south half of a two-front hardware store; this is Thompson's, which was located in this strip on Hill before moving around to Trade Street. We know it was Thompson's no later 1915, and likely much earlier.
In a photograph, we see that this portion of Thompson's was labeled "Paints, Oils, and Vanishes" and "Cutlery, Guns, and Ammunition."
The store neighboring to the north is now selling furniture, and the store to the south is listed as a general store.

By October of 1922, Thompson's has moved to Trade and the furniture store, previously located beside this lot, now fills both lots. The occupant of the neighboring lot on the south side is simply listed as a "store."
The 1979 state historical building survey notes that previous occupants included Mason Furniture and Roger's Furniture.

The 1930 Sanborn map does not list the types of stores in any of the locations along Hill street.

In 1951, the building has been subdivided into three parts, separated by frame partitions. The back half of the building is now a furniture warehouse. The front half is divided into two long, thin spaces identified as stores. The street has changed names to "East Poinsette" [sic] and the number changed to 108.

Plate 108 opened February 12, 2013. Today (6/2020) they provide culinary classes, camps, and special events.