Kinston DMV License Plate Agency reopens at temporary office, post office and Furniture Fair remain closed

KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) -A sense of normalcy when it comes to DMV needs surrounds Kinston once again after nearly three months, as the city’s License Plate Agency has reopened its doors.

“Last Wednesday, I was desperate to get tags for two cars,” said Ron Fletcher, Kinston resident. “We were going out of town and then it opened back on Thursday.”

“You don’t realize how much you miss something until you need it. we’ve needed it,” said Gram Spear, Perry Management Vice President.

The permanent DMV office was severely damaged in June after an EF-1 tornado struck the Kinston Plaza Shopping Center where it is located.

The office was forced to close, which Clifton Hargett says has been inconvenient.

“We had to go to Goldsboro and Greenville,” Hargett said. “It’s difficult because most of the time we all work under a time constraint. We appreciate all parties involved, for help getting it back open.”

A temporary office opened at 2407-C North Heritage Street last Thursday, on the opposite end of the shopping center.

Perry Management owns the plaza. Spear says the reopening was a challenge.

“It wasn’t as easy as just giving them a key,” Spear said. “Had to fix some handicap accessibility issues and get things they needed set up.”

The damaged post office and Furniture Fair remain closed. Fletcher believes the DMV’s reopening speaks to the city’s devotion.

“It’s a small community,” Fletcher said. “A nitroglycerin pill is small too but it does big things. That’s the spirit of this town.”

Spear says they’re working to reopen the post office and the DMV’s permanent office.

He says they’re aiming for that to happen in the next four to six months once roofing is repaired.

Spear also says there’s no current timeline on Furniture Fair’s reopening.

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