Activate Selma featured in Our State Magazine - January 2025

Saving Selma

Neighbors in a Johnston County community saw their beloved rail town fading and got to work. Together, they’ve shown what’s possible with a can-do attitude and the power of positivity.

Two women sit at a table on the porch of 123 North Raiford Street in Selma. Every few minutes, a customer opens the door, which dings a chime and floats the scent of espresso outside. Each person who walks into the coffee shop, each car that cruises by looking for a parking spot, each small business within view that has lights on and an “Open” sign in the window — these are signs of life in this Johnston County town that were hard to imagine just a few years ago.

Melissa Dooley (left) and Cindy Brookshire knew Selma was the little town that could. (photograph above by Charles Harris)

It’s chilly enough that most customers look for seats inside, but Cindy Brookshire and Melissa Dooley are happy on the porch, where they have a view up and down Raiford, Selma’s “Main Street.” Because Brookshire and Dooley did imagine a lively, vibrant Selma — and they worked hard to make it happen.

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