A new recording studio and photography studio has opened in the tiny town of Fountain, near Greenville, as part of an effort to make the area a musical mecca.
For the past two decades, the historic RA Fountain General Store on Fountain's main street has hosted concerts by local and nationally touring musicians. That caught the attention of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which helps musicians pay their bills and find an audience for their work.
The nonprofit bought several neighboring storefronts to build studios where musicians can make records and take publicity photos. Music Maker founder Tim Duffy said the goal is to give musicians and bands a one-stop shop in Eastern North Carolina. But so far it's been attracting musicians from other states as well.
"They love coming here," he said, "They drive from Mississippi or Nashville, and they just treasure coming back here, just for the experience. They think it's like Muscle Shoals used to be in the '60s."
Both Music Maker and the general store are hoping to revitalize Fountain, which has had few businesses since the highway to Greenville bypassed the area decades ago.