This weekend, there was a grand opening of the Mass Market and ART/ifact art studio just outside downtown. It is in an old abandoned warehouse from 1924, that has been restored to this beautiful venue you can see now for events, markets, and artists to rent out studio stalls. Located in a rough area, the hope is kindled for a restoring of a neighborhood.
The original elements are intact, with concrete floors, wood plank ceilings, and white brick walls. The upstairs loft are the artist stalls that have old creaky, wooden floors. I love to see something old restored back to its former glory. The history is then preserved, and it means the space is shared across generations.
On Saturday, the event space was filled with local vendors selling their homemade goods, photography, art, macarons, clothes, flowers, etc... The place was buzzing with excitement.
A once forgotten place becomes the harbinger of community.
It's a beautiful thing to see.
The whole project came straight from the heart of my lovely friend, Elizabeth. She presented this idea to the city, and they said yes. She has since (over the last 2 years) faced all the challenges of the abandoned warehouse that sat empty for 35 years, and all the logistics of opening this place to the public. Her artistic talents, creative imagination, as well as her drive to keep going made this all possible, and I am so proud of her for making this dream a reality. We had many talks along the way, and she would tell me how God was literally placing the opportunities, the connections, and the avenues to bring this all to fruition. I think He could place them in no better hands. It is amazing to see God open all these avenues for good.
To read more about the project and see some photos as well as an interview with Elizabeth, click HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment