May 8, 2017

Meet Noreene Parker of Pinch of the Past in Greensboro

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noreene Parker.

Noreene, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In the early 1990’s while doing Commercial Design Restoration work in Atlanta and throughout the South East; I was having problems finding the materials that I needed. I realized that these same Artist Crafted and wonderfully made materials were being destroyed at an alarming rate and tossed away as garbage. I began to reclaim these materials. Soon other professionals began calling and searching for particular items; that I may have saved. I began the business of Pinch of the Past; employed craftspeople, artists, and building professionals to salvage and restore these wonderful Architectural Gems.

Has it been a smooth road?
It was a tough road, for several reasons. Many developers wanted the buildings torn down quickly, via bulldozers, they did not want to allow the time for crews to carefully dismantle the property. Insurance companies did not want to insure my company, deeming the work to dangerous, and unfortunately, construction was considered a male field, so I did get push back there, simply because of sexism. Luckily my father had been in construction with his brothers, and I had practiced design for years; so, I did have knowledge of “job site” attitudes. I also had to totally personally fund the business, I could find no financial institutions that did not believe me to be crazy for such an idea.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pinch of the Past – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We Reclaim and Salvage Architectural Materials and Artifacts. We then stabilize or restore these materials, depending on what I believe to be appropriate for the item. We have grown to also offer restoration services for Customers items that they bring to us. And we offer consultation services to customers for their projects; so that they know what is period and original in their structure; and what is worth keeping to reuse, or what is worth keeping, although not correct for their project.

My business is unique, because of the umbrella of restoration services, rental for the film industry, and consultation that we offer for these materials. I am also a stickler for promptness, when I set a deadline it is extremely rare that it is not met, on time and in budget. We also do several exclusive reproduction items, that we have been unable to obtain in quantities for today’s market; but they are totally unique and exact replicas of the original items. I am proud that we have successfully been in business for over 27 years, have been acknowledged and featured in major publications, television, and film; and it is a totally self-built and funded business with large showrooms in Greensboro and Savannah, Georgia; and satisfied, happy customers nationwide!

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I have worked in and around Atlanta and in Georgia all of my career. There is no other city with the creativity, energy, and hospitality that Atlanta offers. We are a “Can do” place, if you want it and work for it; you can accomplish it.

Unfortunately, it is also very disheartening that Atlanta does not believe that history and the art in architecture is worth keeping. We look to forward to the next latest thing, and destroy the path that brought us there.

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