Efird Building

This attractive historic building was once a branch location of the Effird Department Store, which was a successful retail company based in North Carolina during the early 20th century. The company, which grew to 54 store chains in Virginia and the Carolinas, constructed the Efird Building in 1919. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, it features a decorative, white enameled terra cotta exterior. Notable features include the third story features a set of three arched windows with rounded bands of terra cotta, Gothic tracery in between the third and second-floor windows, and a parapet along the top of the building with quatrefoil cut outs. As of 2021, the building is home to a community health foundation called Impact Alamance.

Efird's Department Store dates back to 1902 when businessman Hugh Martin Efird and two partners established it as a dry good store called Beehive. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, its formal name was the Charlotte Mercantile Company. In 1907, four of Efird's seven brothers joined the company and they changed the company's name to Efird's Department Store. In September of 1907, a second Efird's store was built in Charlotte's most prestigious retail area and it was located across the street from another successful store called Ivey's. Efird's main customer base were middle-income shoppers.

Efird's made strides in the retail industry including in central office purchasing, implementing "one-price" cash sales, and offering employers insurance and pension benefits. The use of "one price" was an important development as it countered what department stores typically did at the time which was to sell the same, unmarked product at different prices.

Efird's built the store here in Burlington during a period in which the city was experiencing tremendous growth. During this time, the agriculture, tobacco, textile and furniture industries were thriving. This prosperity is what attracted the company to build the store. The building's design reflects the city's growth and the company's optimism for the future. The store moved into an adjacent building in the early 1930s and operated until 1946 (according to another source it closed in 1956); when the Efird's sold their company to a competitor called Belk. The products in the Efird store were then moved to the Belk store. Various tenants have occupied the old Efird building ever since.

Roberts, Claudia P. "Efird Building." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. May 31, 1984. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/AM0611.pdf.

Williams, Wiley J. "Efird's Department Stores." NC Pedia. 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/efirds-department-stores.