According to the website, the building is also known as the Old Pearce Mercantile or the Arizona Ghost Town Museum and is situated on a 0.64-acre plot of land.
According to the registration record, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978.
“Since 1895, the mercantile has been located at that same location. It served as your one-stop shop, similar to a department store today.”Realty One Group Integrity listing agent Patsy Nyberg spoke with Insider. Even a Wells Fargo bank was housed there.
According to property insurance paperwork Nyberg sent to Insider, the couple purchased the former general store in 1996. Burris refuses to disclose the cost of the acquisition.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the mining town of Pearce thrived until the 1930s.
It currently forms a component of the famed road trip route known as the Arizona Ghost Town Trail, which connects three former mining communities.
Less than 2,000 people currently call Pearce home.
Michael had always wanted to bring the Old Pearce Mercantile back to its former splendour as a historian. Patricia spent three years carrying out his instructions after he passed away.
“Since he went away many years ago, his wife finished the task. About three years later, in 2019, it was completed “Nyberg remarked.
She stated that the ancient fences, ladders, and shelves from the business were still in place. Even the facade has been meticulously painted and restuccoed.
Burris turned the space into a one-bedroom residence with a museum devoted to the history of the old mining town by furnishing it with antiques and vintage furnishings.
According to Nyberg, “Patty packed this apartment with antiques that she hunted for over the years, many of which will go with the property sale.”
These include artefacts from the past, old food packaging, signage, and equipment like weighing scales and oil lights.
According to Nyberg, the majority of the objects in the home were given by ancient people who had lived in the neighbourhood for decades, while some others were gathered through yard sales. These antique artefacts assist to portray the past of the village.
Even Nyberg has a personal connection to the restoration project, she noted, since her husband, a carpenter, collaborated with Burris to construct the studio apartment at the rear of the structure.
The wooden entryway of the Old Pearce Mercantile is among the building’s most distinctive features, according to Nyberg. It was formerly a post office’s entrance from the surrounding town of Tombstone.
It may seem to be a box, but Nyberg said that it is really the ancient post office façade that was moved over the hill from the adjacent town of Tombstone.
A restored Studebaker waggon is also there, and it is perched on the wooden doorway.
In the rear of the building is the studio unit.
Although the Old Pearce Mercantile is now vacant, Burris briefly resided there while her own house, the historic Pearce post office building, was undergoing renovations, according to Nyberg.
According to Nyberg, Burris still visits everyday to see how things are going. She said, “There’s a resident cat that loiters there and will also transfer with the property.”
According to Nyberg, Burris made sure that the old items, such as the stove and refrigerator, are in good functioning order.
According to listing records, the house has been on and off the market since Burris finished the repair in 2019. In May 2020, she listed the Old Pearce Mercantile for sale at $944,000. Its cost gradually rose over the next two years to its current $1.1 million.
According to information from real estate website Realtor.com, the median listing price for homes in Pearce, Arizona, is $215,000.
There are 20 single-family houses available for purchase in the neighbourhood right now, with costs ranging from $56,000 to $1.1 million. The Old Pearce Mercantile is the most expensive offering in the area with a $1.1 million asking price.
Despite having just one bedroom, future owners might build extra rooms and convert the unit into a hotel.
According to Nyberg, “Patty has plans to link the blacksmith shop and all those storage places by adding guest houses with bathrooms behind.”
Future owners may simply have the Old Pearce Mercantile’s classification changed back to commercial even though it is presently listed as a residential property, Nyberg remarked.
Because it was originally a business property, Nyberg noted, “It’s extremely readily modified.” It features a newly installed commercial septic tank and a new well, making the property suitable for whatever usage the future owners may have in mind.
According to Burris through Nyberg, one of her fondest renovation-related memories was when the building inspector visited.
According to Burris, the inspector saw a rattlesnake creeping into the courtyard from beneath the building while he was closely inspecting the facility and making stern requests.
The boys returned to work laughing after the inspection was cut short, she continued.
There is an active blacksmith shop in the backyard. According to Nyberg, it often holds live blacksmith demonstrations throughout the Thanksgiving holiday.
“That side of the mercantile would have been practically the way it was,” Nyberg said. “There have been some expansions and restorations, however. Blacksmith shops are rather spartan.
The complex also has a garage where old horse carts are now kept.
According to the advertisement, the neighbourhood is well-known for its wine production, and Burris is open to discussing the sale of 10 adjacent acres for grape-growing.
Burris is ready to transfer ownership of the Old Pearce Mercantile to a new steward now that she has realised her late husband’s ambition.
On the site, Burris has held weddings and other gatherings. A significant neighbourhood celebration is Thanksgiving, and she has previously made room for street festivals with merchants, according to Nyberg.
The community has utilised it throughout the years, and the residents really hope someone will buy it, Nyberg said.
According to Nyberg, Burris is selling the home because maintaining it on her alone would be too time-consuming.
“A buyer who respects history and is committed to preserving it would be excellent. Hopefully, they’ll reopen it to the public “Nyberg said.
People need to be permitted to visit the museum, she continued.