Tupelo Hardware to become CVB headquarters
The first floor of the historical building will be preserved so Elvis fans can see where the singer bought his first guitar
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Tupelo will purchase two of the three buildings that make up Tupelo Hardware, along with its parking lot.
Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan said the council voted to buy the historic building once the Booth family decided to sell.
“Yeah, it happened pretty quick and the last thing we wanted to do was get into a bidding war with one of our citizens, but I believe the Booth family is excited we could purchase it,” Mayor Jordan said.
Tupelo Hardware has anchored the corner of Main and Front Streets for almost a century, so there was interest in keeping the character of the building.
That’s okay with the folks at The Convention and Visitors Bureau, who will move into the building once renovations are complete.
“Original hardware store we are in now, will be period correct, we will probably hire a company to come in and stage it, CVB will move offices to second floor and probably third floor is event space,” Jordan said.
Preserving the first floor as a museum space means tourists can still come in, and stand on the exact spot, marked by an X, where Gladys bought her son Elvis, his first guitar.
“Here, we can tell the story, and it will be kind of a one stop shop before people head over to the birthplace,” he said.
Mayor Jordan said the sale should be final around March, then renovations will start. He said the CVB could be moving in by early 2027.
The City also has the first right of refusal on the third building that is part of Tupelo Hardware. The booth family will still operate the ACE Hardware store on McCullough Boulevard.
The building housing the current CVB headquarters will be sold.
