Birthdays come and go on a regular basis, but Det Haislip's 62nd on Friday was more special than most.
The Aiken businessman and his family unveiled the results of a major renovation project that created four New York City-style loft apartments above their True Value Hardware and Appliances on Laurens Street.
Joining Det and his wife, Lyanne, for the celebration were their children, Wylie Haislip and Kaminer Haislip Quinn, who is a silversmith in Charleston.
Wylie made a short speech in front of True Value during which he dedicated the recently completed Suites on Laurens to Det.
"He has carried the torch on behalf of the family business," Wylie said. "He has overseen the Suites on Laurens project, and somehow he ran the business at the same time. Thank you, dad, for all you did to make this happen. We are proud of you."
Afterward, Lyanne invited everyone in attendance to tour the apartments, which have high ceilings, exposed brick walls and wood floors.
"We are more than happy with how they turned out," Lyanne said. "We are more pleased than we ever thought we would be."
Det called the dedication and the finished apartments "great birthday presents."
The Haislip family's guests for the event included Aiken Mayor Fred Cavanaugh, Aiken City Council member Reggie Ebner and former Aiken City Planner Susan French, who retired in March. Martin Buckley, the architect for Suites on Laurens, and J.D. Cooper, the project's contractor, also were on hand for the unveiling and dedication.
"We wanted to show our thanks and appreciation to all the people who were the main contributors to the project," Det said. "They included plumbers and electricians. We're proud of their workmanship and quality of what we ended up with. When you walk into the apartments, they have a feel of substance to them. You feel like everything was done right, and that's what we were hoping to achieve."
In 2013, Det and Lyanne received a Preservation Award from the Historic Aiken Foundation for refurbishing the two-story True Value Hardware building's façade. During that effort, the couple also had the structure's second floor, which had been a storage area, gutted and prepared for residential and/or commercial use.
After considering whether to create offices or apartments, Det and Lyanne decided on the latter. The work to divide the area into four units of about 1,400 square feet apiece started in earnest last June.
"Our goal was to bring this building, which was built in 1888, back into shape and get the full use of the property," Det said. "The upstairs wasn't productive, and we wanted something that was income producing. The best way to do that was to turn it into a place where people could live because there is a good demand for high-quality downtown living space."
Two of the apartments have been rented. Deganit and Menachem Ganon were the first tenants to move into a unit. Another couple is scheduled to arrive in early June.
"I really love it here," said Deganit of her apartment. "It is all that I could dream of."
DeDe Biles is a general assignment reporter.