Historic Lamar Block Hosts Chamber Ambassadors Meeting
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Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Luanne Brooks-Craven, developer Meagan Vaughn Backes, Mary Lu Vaughn and Chamber Public Relations Director Mary Sue Stevens gather inside the Lamar Block during the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors meeting on June 1.
WATER VALLEY — Members of the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors gathered June 1 at the Lamar Block, formerly known as Magnolia Furniture, for their monthly meeting.
The meeting was hosted by Mary Lu Vaughn and her daughter, Meagan Vaughn Backes, owners of the historic downtown building.
During the meeting, Vaughn and Backes shared their personal connections to Water Valley and discussed the experiences that ultimately led them to purchase and invest in local properties.
Backes said Water Valley remained important to her throughout her life. Although she was born in Memphis and later lived in Barcelona, Spain, New York City and Nashville, Tennessee, she said she spent summers, holidays and Watermelon Carnivals in Water Valley with grandparents, cousins and extended family.
After graduating from Mississippi University for Women with a degree in business and marketing, Backes moved to Barcelona, where she taught English as a Second Language. She later relocated to New York City, where she said she developed an appreciation for walkable neighborhoods and public spaces.
In 2013, Backes returned to Mississippi and worked alongside her father, W.C. Vaughn, in the real estate investment business. She later moved to Nashville, where she built a career in commercial lighting sales while becoming involved with organizations including the Urban Land Institute, Civic Design Center and International Interior Design Association.
Backes and her family purchased their first Water Valley property in 2021. Following the death of her father in 2023, the family continued investing in the community and purchased the former Magnolia Furniture building in 2024.
Mary Lu Vaughn, a 1966 graduate of Water Valley High School, also spoke about her family’s longstanding ties to the community.
Vaughn said both she and her late husband, W.C. Vaughn, were born and raised in Water Valley and always hoped to return to the town they loved.
After earning a degree from Baptist School of Nursing, Vaughn worked for more than 40 years in the medical field, serving as a nurse, nursing administrator and health-care consultant. Following her retirement, she joined her husband in the real estate business, helping oversee projects and property management.
Vaughn said returning to Water Valley has allowed her to reconnect with family and lifelong friends while watching her grandson grow up in the same community where she spent her childhood.
She described Water Valley as a small town filled with people who care deeply about one another and said she is grateful to once again call the community home.
The Chamber Ambassadors meet monthly on the first Tuesday of each month.
