► Tryon Plaza Motel sold to Ion Olga Anna Darman, LLC

The Tryon Plaza Motel at 1111 S. Trade St. in Tryon listed by Lyons Industrial Properties has sold to Ion Olga Anna Darman, LLC for $90,000. The building, which sits on 1.84 acres, belonged to the estate of Edith Biswas, manager of the hotel before she died in 2015. Biswas was a member of the Landrum United Methodist Church, and LUMC Rev. Kevin Dalton executed the property transfer to John Darman, an investor in Pennsylvania. Darman has no immediate plans for the building and bought it as an investment.

► Sanders Funeral and Cremation opening in Columbus

A new funeral home is opening in mid-April at 80 Park St. in Columbus at the former Country Bear Day School location. Randy Sanders and wife Wynona are licensed funeral directors in North Carolina and will offer full funeral services from caskets to cremation. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on an as needed basis on the weekends.

► Tryon Coffeehouse Co-op honored as N.C. Main Street Champion

Tryon Coffeehouse Co-op members Tim Daniels, Tracey Daniels and Chris Baschon were honored as Main Street Champions with 33 other individuals for their contributions to the community in 2016 during an awards ceremony breakfast in Shelby, N.C. on Monday, March 21. The Tryon Coffeehouse Co-op members saved the coffee shop from closing in downtown Tryon in 2015, and it has become a gathering place in the community. The award was established in 2000 by the North Carolina Main Street program and has named 639 individuals as Main Street Champions.