As Danville's Tobacco District bristled with activity early in the 20th century, commerce swept away the last vestiges of the town's antebellum past near the river. This three-story brick building, c1913, reflects that boom just prior to World
War I. Masses of red brick and red mortar alternate with industrial "strip" windows—a facade spare in detail—relieved only by the striking geometric profile of a decked parapet. 

James I. Pritchett and Company moved from lower Main Street to this address where the firm remained until the early 1930s. Regarded for decades as a leading wholesale and retail purveyor of groceries, James I. Pritchett also sold hay, grain, and sundry farm supplies, plus lime, cement, plaster and other building materials.

During the depths of the Depression and through the Second World War, 301 Craghead was home to at least two other wholesalers, and one dealing in general merchandise. Another Danville wholesale grocer, Harper & Croxton, purchased the building for their operation in 1945. A faded sign painted on the masonry near the building's corner with Loyal Street still bears the moniker, Harper & Croxton,
which remained here until the late 1960s. In 1971, Harry R. Link purchased the building as a satellite for his thriving hardware business, Link-Watson, across the street.

In 2004, Davis Storage sold the building to Susan Stilwell whose major restoration included a new roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, the chemical removal of paint from the facade and replacement of over 250 broken window panes. On the third floor, Ms. Stilwell is creating her personal residence, with a guest suite on the second level.

Open for the tour is the first floor retail space, occupied by Ms. Stilwell's college roommate, Lori Bushell—the owner and designer of Glass & Stone. Her family-owned business, Machines & Wheels, provides both equipment and knowledge of glass. Since 2002, Ms. Bushell has been creating contemporary designs using mirrors, vases, and flat glass, seen in her Craghead Street showroom, along with a new line of mosaic glass tiles, testimony to her design acumen.