Say hello to our Front Desk Manager, Norma Broadwater! Discover her story on what makes Savage home for her.
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“This it just like Mayberry!” people have exclaimed to me in the midst of town celebrations like the annual Savage Fest in June or the Bollman Bridge and Christmas Tree Lighting in December. I have to agree. I fell in love with Savage the day my husband and I came to look at our “little house in the big woods,” as I dubbed our modest home nestled beside the towering trees of Savage Park. Avid outdoors people, we couldn’t resist the combination of stunning natural beauty and unique shops and restaurants inside a historic cotton mill, all within walking distance of our soon-to-be home. And I felt twelve years in, I’m still enamored with Savage and its charms. We’re fortunate that the Mill, the millworker housing on Baltimore Street, Carroll Baldwin Hall (the town’s community center, donated by the family of one of the Mill’s managers), and other historic buildings have been preserved and restored, and continue to lend Savage beauty and vibrancy.
I love being able to find so many reasons to shop in my town. This is where I come with my great uncle’s clock for cleaning and repair at Hands of Time, with neighbors for a happy hour, with friends for artistic inspiration, and with my nieces to add to their toy collections. I stop in for a coffee or fresh bread at Rustiq, a used book at Books with a Past, or a creative new-to-me outfit or two. It’s my go-to spot for unique and local gifts such as locally-made jewelry and impressive fossils.
This spring I began working part-time in the Paymaster’s Office, where Savage Mill’s management staff has its offices. It feels like the final piece of a puzzle, learning to know the tenants who bring so much creativity and passion to their ventures. The days of the Paymaster’s Office disbursing pay to the millworkers are long gone, but the staff take pride in keeping the facilities up and running, bringing in new businesses, and keeping the Mill family and visitors welcomed and informed.”
– Norma Broadwater, Front Desk Manager