STOKES COUNTY, NC. -- A group in the county is turning lemons into lemonade.

• Francisco Elementary School closed because of low enrollment
• BNE Custom Cabinets working out of old school
• Plans to do two phases of expansion and hiring more workers

For a few months, BNE Custom Cabinets has been working out of the old Francisco Elementary School in the Northern part of Stokes County.

The school closed in 2015 due to low enrollment. But "Our Communities of NW Stokes" worked to get a business to move into the space.

The owner of the furniture company said he was looking elsewhere until Our Communities of NW Stokes came to him.

"They were showing me an opportunity not to go elsewhere and, being my home community and county, the opportunity was intriguing to help the community as well as the company working with the county," said Mark Black, owner of BNE Custom Cabinets LLC.

The company only now has seven full time employees, but they're planning two phases of expansion and expect to hire more workers.