Melrose Featured in Business North Carolina
Make sure you pick up the latest copy of Business North Carolina to see us featured in their article: “Historic properties get new shine as wedding venues“.
The article starts by highlighting the fact that more millennials are opting out of traditional wedding venues and searching for rustic, historic properties. Our very own event planner Jessica Tilton is quoted saying “I think that people are attracted to historic venues because of the character that those buildings have. Being able to start with a space that has so much life and history makes the design so much more fun and alive to their guests.”
You can view the full article online here but make sure you pick up a copy of your own. The photos look even more gorgeous in print and it serves as a great guide for those currently searching for a venue. Keep reading for more details about Melrose Knitting Mill’s rich history and we hope you will schedule a tour to come see us soon.
Where It All Began
Did you know, the building we call home was originally built in 1900 and once housed the Melrose Textile Mill, which manufactured undergarments and bathing suits? It was open until 1930, when it closed amid the Great Depression. Until 2009, the building sat vacant, except for occasional short-term tenants – like a roofing company in the 1960’s – which led the space to its fortuitous introduction to Abdul Zalal in 1969. A recent Afghani immigrant, Zalal began working at the roofing company and just before 1980 he purchased the mill.
Zalal installed a new roof, boarded up the windows, and left the property vacant for several years until current operator and creative director Samad Hachby approached him with a vision for creating a destination dining property on the ground floor. Fast forward to 2009, then Hachby opened then Babylon Restaurant, a Moroccan dining concept, which served as one of Downtown Raleigh’s most vibrant evening and weekend destinations until the restaurant was re-imagined to the Italian eatery it is today: Mulino Italian Kitchen & Bar.
So how did our special event space come to be? In 2014, Hachby aimed his creative pursuits even higher (quite literally) and renovated the third-story space to accommodate the larger weddings, special events, and parties that his restaurant was being sought after to host. Today, the Historic Melrose Knitting Mill sits perched high atop 309 N. Dawson Street welcoming guests to a true destination within the heart of the city.