From dining to day care

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

One of Wytheville’s former upscale dining spots will soon be home to a daycare center and attorney offices. Scrooge’s on Holston Road is undergoing renovations to accommodate the new tenants.
“I’d kind of been looking for property,” noted J.D. Morefield, an Abingdon attorney who also has an office in Wytheville. “It was priced reasonably and well built.”
He bought the property at auction on March 26. Morefield closed on the deal at the end of April.
According to Morefield, he plans to relocate his Fourth Street law office to the new site by the first of next year. Morefield & Largen P.L.C. has had offices in Wytheville for 14 years.
“We’ll be located on the second level of the building,” Morefield commented. “We still have some renovations to be completed before we can occupy the space.”
Discovery Island Preschool-Daycare is set to move into the first floor of the building by Sept. 2. It plans hold an open house at the new location on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m.
“I’m looking forward to the move,” stated Uva Havens, owner and manager of Discovery Island. “I’d like to be in there today.”
According to her, she recently bought Stepping Stones Day Care Inc. with locations on Stafford Umberger Drive in Wytheville and Fort Chiswell. Havens is merging the Wytheville operation with Discovery Island but leaving the Fort Chiswell center where it is.
“This will give us a much larger facility,” Havens said, “and it’s more convenient for many of the parents.”
Havens’ center is licensed for 99 children and is almost at capacity. It provides a pre-school program for children ages 2 through school age and after-school accommodations.
The Fort Chiswell center is licensed for 70 children. It has approximately 55 children enrolled.
Scrooge’s opened in 1989 beside the former PJ’s Christmas Carousel, an exclusive shopping attraction featuring all things Christmas, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and a section filled with Virginia-made items. The restaurant was noted for its elegant décor and fine dining.
After thriving for several years, Scrooge’s began to experience declining business. A couple of attempts at different management resulted in the business closing in October 2004.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .