Reading about the recall of KIDDE fire extinguishers made the editor recall the excitement around town when the Walter Kidde Company, makers of engineered systems for fire protection bought property south of town in 1982, built a $6-million plant, said they would employ up to 250 people and moved their national headquarters here. That did not last long because in 1989 a holding company bought Kidde and Feneval, another firm making fire protection systems, merged the two firms and moved the Wake Forest operations to a Feneval facility.
The Wake Forest plant was sold to The Body Shop in 1992 and the company has long been a steady local employer.
A couple years ago L’Oreal, which then owned The Body Shop said it planned to shut down the Wake Forest operation but a small number of employees were still working in town. The editor asked Jason Cannon, the town’s economic developer if that was still true.
“Yes, the Body Shop is there and, in fact, now intends to stay!” he replied. “While they were owned by L’Oreal, decisions were made to shutter the operation that is in Wake Forest and steps were underway to vacate the building.
“However, earlier this spring, the Body Shop was sold by L’Oreal to a Brazilian company named Natura. It is my understanding that Natura has decided to breathe new life into the Wake Forest operation. As a result, the facility is currently under renovation and a good deal of the old office space is under construction to take on the Body Shop’s e-commerce platform. Meanwhile, the distribution space that has always made up a substantial piece of the operation continues to be full and active. For now, the Body Shop’s operation in Wake Forest is here to stay.”
* * * *
While we are talking about fire extinguishers, make sure yours are in working condition and that you have them in various places in the house to deal with any situation.
It is a good time to also remember there is a drug disposal bin in the foyer of the Wake Forest Police Department’s investigative division in the brown-painted building next to Centennial Plaza and Town Hall on Brooks Street. Take any unused or expired drugs there for safe disposal.
* * * *
The seventh annual Mistletoe Market at Wakefield High School will be held Saturday, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This holiday fair and fundraiser for the school’s PTSA will have more than 190 vendors offering jewelry, handmade arts & crafts, paintings, gifts, baked goods, wreaths, sculptures and more. Cousins Maine Lobster and Havana Dave’s food trucks will be on site. Event admission is $5. Shoppers can receive $1 off with the donation of a canned/non-perishable food item. For more information, go to the website, www.wakefieldhsptsa.org/mistletoe-market.
* * * *
Members of the General James Moore Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be at the Wake Forest Veterans Memorial at 1250 Heritage Club Avenue from 11 a.m. to noon to sell wreaths for Wreaths Across America Day, which this year is on Saturday, Dec. 16. It coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery with over 1,200 sites across the country and abroad. For more information, call Penny McGhee at 919-494-2848.
