Pizza. The best burger in NC. Shopping. Find it all at this former Charlotte-area mill
Where can you find years of history, antique shopping and pizza prepared with fresh, imported buffalo mozzarella? Merino Mill.
The building in Mooresville housed the original Moor Turkish Towel Company Mill. Though the factory closed in 1999, the building remained and was set to be knocked down, as it had become a liability. Then entrepreneur Michal Bay gave the building a second life. Now, Merino Mill has been transformed into a thriving hub for shopping, business, food and community — all while preserving the building’s history.
“This was the only mill in America where you would get cotton delivered and it would leave as a finished product,” Bay said. “It’s like a second or third life for these types of buildings. Unfortunately, people didn’t appreciate it much before, but now they’re starting to appreciate American heritage buildings. This is a wonderful thing for the community and town.”
When Bay’s real estate agent first approached him about the opportunity, he warned that it was a nice building but a big mess.
“It was true that it was a big mess, but I would have preferred to have no roof than to have a roof,” Bay said. “The guy in charge of (restoration) counted 248 spots where the roof was leaking, then gave up. So, it was in bad shape. But the bones of the building and the walls were really strong.”
Bay, who is from Mesopotamia, understands the importance of preserving history. Almost all of the building is original, right down to the floors. Instead of painting over the walls, Bay opted to power wash them and let the original paint shine through.
“I cleaned it up but kept everything original,” Bay said. “So now we have something beautiful for the community.”
From factory to fun
Merino Mill is about 1.1 million square feet, and Bay has developed about 820,000 square feet across multiple buildings so far. As such, Bay was the recipient of the 2017 Great Places Award from the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association for his work to reclaim the mill. The mill even features the largest rooftop solar array in North Carolina, and it works closely with Boomerang Water — a local small batch bottling company — to replace single-use plastic water bottles throughout the facility to avoid shipping and waste.
Bay said about 110,000 people visit the mill per month, and he’s met people who traveled from Virginia and even Ohio.
“It has truly become a destination. Everybody’s excited. Everybody’s happy,” he said.
Bay opened the furniture area of the mill first, then the Main St. Antiques & Design Gallery. Soon, he started thinking about adding places to eat for hungry shoppers. He offered 11 of his friends the opportunity to open a pizza or burger place within Merino Mill, but all declined.
So, Bay traveled to Italy to learn how to craft pizza himself. He returned to the U.S. with knowledge and supplies — he even bought special ovens and started giving the food to the health department, fire department, and healthcare facilities to practice the craft.
When Alino Pizzeria finally opened, there was already a line outside, and the spot has enjoyed a strong customer base since. The pizzeria uses fresh buffalo mozzarella flown in from Italy, and everything is crafted from scratch in-house.
“We didn’t know how to cut corners because we’re not restaurateurs,” he said.
Now, seven of the 11 friends who first passed on opening the pizzeria currently work at Alino.
To build upon the pizzeria’s success, Bay researched other types of eateries that perform well in the U.S., and pursued opening The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden, home to the best cheeseburger in North Carolina. Defined Coffee, a state-of-the-art espresso bar and coffee roastery, will soon open its second North Carolina location at Merino Mill. And Bay exclusively told CharlotteFive that he plans to open a taqueria next to the antique shop, which he anticipates will be open before Christmas.
“It’s going to offer tacos in a 100 percent open kitchen, so visitors can see how we are making everything, which will be prepared fresh daily.”
Bay compares revitalizing the mill to the movie “Chocolat.”
“This lady and her daughter go to this small village in France, and everybody hesitates. They don’t talk to them, and after the chocolateria is open, everything turns around. When we came (to the mill), there was a small chain-link fence around the building. No green trees or anything. And it was a cold feeling — nobody would be walking around,” Bay said. “Now, you see people doing yoga and having picnics. It’s a totally different feeling within the last 11 years. So much has changed. There’s a history and beautiful stories behind this. Now, I’m just a little part of it.”
Merino Mill
Location: 500 S. Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115
Instagram: @merinomill
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 12:57 PM.
