Renovation Process

The renovation was a complete demolition down to the studs of the building.  The building was originally erected in 1890. Four generations of electrical, plumbing and heating had been cobbled together and in no way would meet the modern code, so all was removed.  In the process we came across several artifacts that are now displayed in the store.  These include: a wallet (still had owners driver’s license, credit card and an IOU note from the 1960’s.  In the basement we found a variety of items from the old days of prohibition, these included clay poker chips, brass slugs from slot machines, slot machine tokens and coins.  One of the interesting finds was a small collection of glass bottles that were discarded into the coal bin that was used to heat the original building. 

After completion of the demolition, we renovated the building back to some of its original configuration to include 14 foot ceilings.  Much of the wood work was salvaged from the materials that we tore out during demolition. 

One of the unique things of the store is the revealed brick walls, which are the primary structure.  The brick was revealed by removing plaster that was used in the early days of the store, so the walls could be painted.  The brick and wood complement each other and make the space quite lovely.