A random lunch run brought former pilot Dan Dowling to Greensboro, and he liked what he saw. He especially liked Greensboro’s tree-lined streets, old brick buildings oozing charm and the Southern hospitality that seemed to pour out of its mortar. He liked it so much he began to look at the “For Sale” signs that hung in some store fronts and started inquiring as to buying vacant real estate. He now owns several key downtown historic buildings and he lives over 3,000 miles away in Davis, California. He is a real estate mogul and knows a good thing when he sees it.
Dowling, a native of East Orange, New Jersey, began traveling to Georgia when a good family friend bought a historic farm property in Union Point on over 60 picturesque acres in Greene County. He loved the bucolic surroundings, the quiet and the unhasty pace of a slower way of life. He said it reminded him what Davis, California, looked like when he first moved there 30 years ago. He was excited for his friend who has now expanded the property with additional acreage to create an animal rescue farm appropriately named Wild Things Sanctuary. Supported with donations and social media views, the sanctuary takes in any and all animals and is a menagerie including cows, horses, emu, assorted reptiles and much more. Dowling has become a business mentor to the sanctuary and routinely visits to help with the animals and the out buildings.
Dowling, a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in Economics, is a former Continental Airlines pilot who started his career in the Air Force. After graduating, he spent a year in training during the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama, and was later stationed in Travis Air Force base in California flying cargo planes in and out of Vietnam.
He always had a keen eye for investment opportunities throughout his life and loved old homes and historic neighborhoods. After researching the business potential he could bring to the community he liked so well, he secured the purchase of many of the historic buildings on Main Street including: 106 Main, 108 Main, 110 Main, 104 South Main and 115 East Broad. He also recently purchased a historic home in the neighboring community.
Dowling said he recognized the business opportunities he could help bring in.
“Everyone I met here said Greensboro needed a coffee shop,” he said. “Bonnie’s Coffee Shop is scheduled to open soon at 110 Main as soon as permits are approved. I am happy to be a part of what makes the downtown sector fun to visit.”
The local Greene County Habitat for Humanity chapter is planning to open a specialty retail arm at 106 Main Street. Scheduled to open within the next two months, the store will sell high-end jewelry and other items to support their fund-raising efforts. At 115 East Broad Street, a Paint Party venue store has opened with great success for owner Tyya Alexander, who also does mobile parties throughout the area. He especially liked the building that housed the old Dreamcatcher Antiques and is now Lake and Local at 104 South Main. It features an early 1900s era courtyard complete with a working fountain, stone patio and old growth palms.
“It is really different,” he said.
Dowling would like to source other properties that combine the winning attributes that make the ones purchased thus far so appealing.
“Everyone I have met in Greensboro have been so nice and accommodating,” he said. “It is a great example of southern hospitality at its best.”