A Gastonia man has plans to turn a former fabrics store into a music venue that will feature local artists downtown.

For the past three years, Michael Carpenter has dreamed of opening the doors of "The Rooster," a live music venue at the former Luxury Fabrics building, located at 334 W. Main Ave, in Gastonia. He hopes he can open by this summer.

A big day for his plans came on March 18 when he obtained financing for his venture.

"That day I had to stop and soak it all up, just thinking of everything I had to go through," Carpenter said.

Carpenter plans to capture video footage of the construction to put on his YouTube page, called "The Rooster," in the format of a mini-documentary.

Carpenter has a passion for local live music and believes The Rooster can fill a niche downtown.

"We will have ticketed events during the weekend and free events during the week. We will have all sorts of events such as concerts, comedy shows, art shows and many other events that our customers will hopefully enjoy," Carpenter said.

Carpenter's dream of opening The Rooster were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many live venues.

"We got the loan before the pandemic but then the bank pulled it. It was not until May 2021, that the bank was open to moving forward," said Carpenter.

To keep the future venue in people's minds, Carpenter started "Rooster Radio," on Spotify. The podcast is dedicated to supporting and promoting local artists and musicians and has more than 50 episodes.

Carpenter has also conducted various fundraisers throughout the year meant to help him with the expenses of the venue.

As the venue is soon to begin construction, Carpenter plans to create a "founders' wall" inside to thank the many contributors that have supported his upcoming business.

"It is finally happening," Carpenter said.

Beatriz Guerrero can be reached at 704-869-1828 or on Twitter@BeatrizGue_.