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West Chatham Village: New ownership and new touches all around

You might know it as the Chocolate Smiles Village, over at 312 West Chatham Street, and it’s understandable, since the Cary mainstay has been making great treats there for years.

The shopping center is now under the new name of West Chatham Village thanks to new owners.

Meet Bob and Dale Dascombe, a husband and wife team, who recently purchased and rebranded West Chatham Village. The rebrand included a big update this Spring (2022) with a new black shingle roof, LED building lighting, gooseneck signage lighting, updated ground signage, and a fresh coat of paint to give West Chatham Village a nice pop with the classic colors.

“With the sale of South Hills Mall, we were in a position to reinvest some of the sales proceeds.  As we were looking for a good investment we kept coming back to this property for sale on West Chatham Street.  Not only was it a terrific location in Downtown Cary, but we felt extremely comfortable managing and leasing a multi-tenant property — it all just lined up for us,” said Bob Dascombe. 

For Bob’s wife, Dale, this is a combination of personal and professional interests.

“I love Cary,” said Dale Dascombe (formerly Dale Martin, Cary High School Class of 1980).

“I have deep roots in this community. My grandmother (born in 1895) lived downtown on Waldo Street. My father went to Cary High School when it was located in the current “Cary Arts Center”. My family attended First Baptist Church on Academy Street, if the church was open, the Martin family was there,” said Dale.

It’s that connection to Cary, and our special downtown area, that added to the investment potential for Dale and Bob.

“I have fond memories of weekly visits to Ashworth‘s drugstore for hotdogs and orangeade drinks, memories of participating in the downtown Cary parade, memories of shopping at “Cary Lazy Days”, memories of Girl Scout activities, and memories of Fourth of July “pie eating” competitions. And now, we are creating these same memories with our own children and hopefully lots of grandchildren,” added Dale.

As for who currently calls West Chatham Village home, the businesses include: Chocolate Smiles, The Queendom Beauty Bar, Crafts Made by You, Young Writers Institute, Mon Macaron, and McCormack & Co Photography.

The location is prime and ready for one more tenant, and given the space available, Bob said they are hoping to attract a new food offering to Downtown Cary.

“We have the perfect spot for a restaurant or eatery to join our tenants here at West Chatham Village, and given the growth and food and drink scene in downtown, we’re ready to welcome the next great food spot to this part of town,” added Bob.

As for the growth we’re seeing here, and what’s to come, Dale is ready for it, “Cary is my home. I take pride in my community and Bob and I feel like we have an opportunity to give back, to be good stewards of what we’ve been entrusted. I’ve seen Cary grow from a population of only 3,500 to 175,000. One can only conclude that this incredible growth happened because there’s no better place to live than Cary, NC. Of course, I knew this all along,” said Dale, with a certain hint of pride in her voice.

For leasing info call (919)427-8523.

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