I've always dreamed of working in a creative environment, with other artists of all kinds, and was never able to find the right space here in Buffalo. I met a property manager, Mark Schroeder (who also runs a great co-op office building called The Main Washington Exchange) & told him my vision. He LOVED the idea of turning an empty building one door over from his space into this. We worked at the idea for two months, developing a concept, floorplan, pricing, etc, and with the help & full support of building owner, Roger Trettel, it's finally coming to fruition! It truly warms my heart to be able to work with people who love and believe in this city as much as I do! And when they also see the value in supporting our local creative community? Perfection.
Renovations began last week, turning a building that hadn't been loved in a long time into a gorgeous space. I aptly named it MAIN(ST)UDIOS, because I am so fond of its spot at 515 Main St & love the effort of furthering the development of this block (see the before picture below!) The space will function as a creative collective, with a huge shared gallery space on the first floor, my studio and several other artists' studios on the second. There will be a communal lounge area, workspace, painter's sink and kitchenette. What I really fell in love with (even in its rough condition), were the HUGE ceilings and big windows, flooding the space with beautiful natural light. It's quiet and peaceful, and still just steps from the buzz of Main St, the Hyatt Hotel, Fountain Plaza, Lafayette Square, the Theater District and several other cultural organizations.
Needless to say, I'm BEYOND pumped :) I'll be in the space in October, so stay tuned for a Grand Opening announcement & be sure to check out our website and Facebook Page for more info and to see the progress of the renovations!
Before Roger purchased building & repainted facade.... yikes!
Space I chose for my studio, three big beautiful windows
Looking out into the rest of the second floor (future artists' studios)
Interior of my future studio, clothing racks and all
Walls go up! I requested transom windows around the entire perimeter to allow for some of the light from my three windows to pass through to the rest of the space (and because, well, it just looks cool :) Roger was able to re-use some existing windows from another building.
Walls & doorway for my space framed out! Saturday 09/10
Building located on the far right, right by train & Gold Dome! 
Wow! that looks great :) Way to make main street look beautiful.
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