Albemarle cashes in on ‘Idol’ fame:
ALBEMARLE — Kellie Pickler is more than an object of adoration in her hometown. She’s an industry.
This city of 16,000 about 45 miles northeast of Charlotte has seen its fortunes fade since the textile industry sputtered to a crawl in the 1980s. Layoffs have followed layoffs, the historic downtown has empty storefronts on nearly every block and population has fallen 2 percent since 2000.
Then came Kellie Picker, the hometown girl who sang the national anthem at the opening of the new Wal-Mart in August, then started lighting up TV’s No. 1 show, “American Idol.”
It looks like Kellie is both successful in American Idol and the business in her own hometown. Soon, her town will have a sign that says “Albemarle, Home of Kellie Pickler”
