Remodeled Danville theater to house record store

As one downtown building’s facelift nears completion, Downtown Records plans to relocate from Union Street to Main Street in November.

Sammy Saunders, the hobby owner of the used-record store, bought the old Broadway Theater in May with the idea of remodeling it into a usable space.

“I always had a desire to buy an old building, fix it up and make something out of it,” Saunders said.

The certified public accountant and senior partner at Harris, Harvey, Neal & Co. in Danville envisioned the new space — three times bigger than the Union Street store — could house the more than 100,000 long-playing (LP) records and the nearly 300,000 45-rpm records he collected since the 1960s.

Originally, Saunders thought he would keep the building’s top-front of wire mesh and cement intact, but he noticed cracks and pulled it down. He didn’t realize the original façade was underneath.

The Broadway Theater, built in the early 1900s, eventually became the Lea Theater for decades. It last served as a dress shop replete with storefront windows, Saunders said.

When Saunders saw the façade, he asked the city of Danville’s Office of Economic Development for advice. Because the building was located in an enterprise zone, the city could offer Saunders the local incentive of a $10,000 grant if he spent $20,000 on the façade and kept it in line with the original.

Saunders anticipates spending about $50,000 for the front of the building and close to $100,000 for the whole remodel. While the grant money helped, Saunders also appreciated how the city provided design services and guidance on what would look best.

He chose a tan and white color scheme, but continues to work on accents and décor. Saunders hopes the renovation improves the look of downtown — a safe and secure place that stays affordable for small business operators.

Saunders hopes to open the second week of November. He keeps his store open only on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but people from all over the East Coast stop by to see his rare collectibles, he said.

If he can’t make his money back on sales from the hobby store, he still sees sprucing up the building as an investment.

“Downtown’s a good place to be,” Saunders said.