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WEST POINT — The former location of the West Point Masonic Lodge has new life in the form of two new businesses. A ribbon cutting/grand opening ceremony took place Saturday to introduce the community to Palm Garden Massage Therapy on one side and Kim Mitchell’s Salon on Avenue C on the opposite side.

The building is owned by Tammy Burch, a licensed massage therapist who previously ran her business in a house on the opposite end of East 9th Street. She purchased the lodge building in January 2022 and pretty much gutted it, giving it a like-new interior and exterior. New windows were added along with new doors, flooring, lighting, HVAC — the complete works. The new design has a little bit of the old as well. The seating platforms that were inside the main lodge hall are on the salon side. One of them rises from the floor in the manicure/pedicure area, and another portion of the platform is on the wall on the opposite side of the salon, concealing some electrical wiring.

The entire building is an ideal place to spend an entire day of comfort and relaxation. Burch opened her side of the building to clients this past January. Mitchell had her first customer in the building this past Valentine’s Day.

“We want to build a local customer base,” Burch said. “We see people from infants to the elderly. I really love West Point. We used to be three doors down from here on East 9th. We are now on the corner.”

The two new businesses are just across the street from Point Place Apartments. It’s in a good location with a good traffic flow along Avenue C and even more traffic along East 10th Street.

The building is a really nice place to be when it’s warm outside. The seating is comfortable for those who are waiting for a haircut, facial, waxing, manicure or pedicure on Mitchell’s side of the building or a medical or therapeutic massage on Burch’s side.

In most cases there’s very little waiting and even if there is, it’s a very pleasant wait in these cool, comfortable surroundings.

Burch has two other therapists working with her. They are Jordan Redden, who specializes in massage, and Trianna Lewis, who is a Reiki practitioner.

The business can be contacted at PalmGarden.MassageTherapy.com.

“Come by and see us,” Burch said. “You can experience the ambience of a spa. You can shop for unique items and gifts, sample essential oils and enjoy a relaxing or corrective massage or a Reiki session from Trianna.”

Mitchell has been working with hair since 2000 and had her own salon since 2008. She was first located in the Valley Plaza Shopping Center, later on across Highway 29 next to Bell’s Collision and is now on West Point’s east bank in the same building with Burch.

“Tammy and I have known each other for the past five years,” she said. “We have talked about being in the same building for some time now. She got really serious about it a couple of years ago. She bought the old lodge building in January 2022 and did a great job of refurbishing it. She even reworked the outside barbecue pit area. She had the old pit taken out but kept the pavilion surrounding it. This building is a perfect place for us to be in business. People can come to my side for a hair cut, waxing, a manicure or pedicure and go to her side for a massage. It’s just a great situation.”

For a hair cut, contact Mitchell at (706) 590-1223; for a massage, contact Burch at (706) 489-1023.