Earl Applegate News Today

After around three months of negotiations, The Kessler Collection bought the former “Elks” building in downtown New Bern for $2.25 million on Jan. 4.

Jim Hodges remembers when Gaskins Soda Shop served up its famous chicken salad sandwiches out of the bottom floor of the Elks Temple, once the hub of downtown New Bern.  Gaskins thrived during the 40s to the 60s and was always packed -- no surprise with the smell of toasted buttery bread and ice cream wafting out to the bustling street. As a kid, he was also fascinated by the fact that you could enter Charles Store on Middle Street and exit on Pollock Street. "To me, the Elks Temple buildi...