Truly a place to grow your heart

We are a town where many people are born, live their lives and are laid to rest at the end of that life.

Outsiders may say that is a very shallow and unlived life, full of the potential for stagnation, boredom and narrow-minded thinking.

Many small towns may fall into that critique, but a doff of our cap today as we have weathered the storms of life through history. From the Tory Hole through world wars and navigating worldwide pandemics. And we’ve made it because we have done it together. Not only do we have progressive communities, but growing communities. A good kind of growth that is steady and conservative and secure. Local city governments that encourage open doors to policies and discussions on items that other towns may never care to talk about in public.

Residents who have lived here and worked here and raised families here agree that it is as close as you can come to heaven on earth – and you find an awful lot of people who choose to live here all of their lives. There is a reason for that. It is a county that has adapted to changing times, welcomed newest trends and has always looked to be on the cutting edge of information to ensure that the towns and the people never get swallowed up the past, but at the same time take pride in where it’s come from.

Older buildings with sentimental stories stand side-by-side with new builds and the union between yesterday and tomorrow is seamless. It is a community where people have home businesses and still conduct transactions with a handshake. The grapevine (and we have these both literal and metaphorically – the latter which can destroy much stronger and bigger towns is just as active in Bladen County, but for the most part, has a sense of caring that drives it.

People that make mistakes here are given that all elusive “second chance” and “third chance” and on and on. Oh, not all, but a strong majority. Everyone knows everybody. Perhaps not all by name, but by the recognizable faces that are never too busy for a smile or a greeting along the way.

We have eclectic shops, thriving farmers markets, and cozy parks that are not overwhelming but have remained as central gathering places for friends and family.

People in larger towns or small-minded towns couldn’t fathom the kind of service and hospitality that we specialize in here in “North Carolina friendly.” Whether it’s sharing a tube or two for a summer float down the Cape Fear River or directing people to other stores that may have something not found in their own shop. Though the county has progressed and grown, the mission of those that founded the towns are still quite intact with the onus on the strength being its people.

There are those who may go off and find employment or create families in other parts of the country, but in emails and letters, it’s well published that there is a homesickness in those who grew up here. There is a sense of “home” here that you don’t readily find in most of the world, and when the homesickness becomes too great, people simply… come home.

Especially at this time of year. There is a peace as they walk the streets that reminds them once again how blessed they were to grow up here. From the first place they learned to tie their shoes to the that first bicycle ride and perhaps the first time they saw snow. People remember where it happened. It will ever be an integral part of their memories no matter how many miles separate.

It’s a place where organizations are still one nation under God and the national anthem is played openly. The greeting is still “Merry Christmas” in December and the Bible is still the No. 1 selling book in our hearts. When a couple is married, the town knows about it and celebrates. When a baby is born the town rejoices and Bladen County is stamped upon the heart. And at a death, the town mourns. But even in death, there is no lack of peace as you know that you will take your place alongside family that has gone before you, and your name will be added as a monument and a testament to the thankfulness of growing and living in a town that really is home.

There is, no place like home. And if outsiders can see this in such a short time, there is much to be said about the people and the character of those who live here. Look around at your friends and families. We make it more than a town; we make it more than a community. We make it home.