Category: The Building

I received a lot of questions back in January 2017 when I decided to take a gamble on the Village of Springville.  My friends and family seemed excited and supportive when I shared the news that I purchased the property at 29 Mechanic Street, even if they had never personally been to Springville.  They would generally congratulate me and ask some form of “what are you going to do with it?”  It’s a logical question, but not one that I had a great answer for at the time, so I had to dance around it until recently.

My husband, Joe, and I were  born and raised in and around Springville.  Our lives have briefly taken us away from time to time, but whenever we returned, it just seemed right.  These days my work takes me to downtown Buffalo, while Joe has the privilege of working in Springville every day for the Encorus Group.For years we would park in front of his office building on Mechanic Street and head to whatever restaurant, store, or event that was on our radar at the time. 
 

We would also walk past the building next door at 29 Mechanic Street and wish that someone would just give it a little love.  For those of you from Springville, you may have the same memory — we are often told stories of the building’s history as a car dealership, garage, an office supply store, a gaming arcade for a brief time…  It had a past, but unfortunately it didn’t appear to have much of a future.
 

That’s where our story picks up.  In early 2017 while the snow was piling up, I closed on the property at 29 Mechanic Street.  The village had just completed its Franklin Street Streetscape Project, and I desperately wanted to transform the building from one with boarded-up windows and an art mural tagged with graffiti into something — anything.  For such a central location (from its roof you can see the post office, the library, the town hall, the police and fire stations, you name it!), this building deserves attention and use.  So I bought it.
 

With only half a floor and not much else, it wasn’t the most inspiring space.  The Main Street Façade Project helped us out a bit with the exterior renovations in 2017.  All we had left to do was make the inside useful again.  When we noticed a trend with a few of our friends feeling the isolation of working from home, we identified a problem… maybe our building could be the solution.  After experiencing a coworking conference in Lancaster, PA, though, we knew we’d found the answer!
 

We believe that building a coworking space is just what the little Village of Springville needs right now — follow us to learn more reasons why!