In 1835, General William Brazelton of New Market purchased part of this block for his daughter Emily and her Irish husband Andrew McKeldin, who operated a mercantile store here until his death in 1867. In 1878, Emily had a brick building constructed with spaces for three separate businesses, and the wooden sidewalk along the front became known as the boardwalk. Over the years, businesses in the building included McKeldin & Nixon, Ballew & Farrell, and, from about 1940 until 1964, Proffitt's Department Store. The corner section was destroyed by fire on July 1, 2017.