November 17, 2005

The revitalization of the abandoned Grove City Farmer's Exchange has marked yet another successful redevelopment project for the city's historic Town Center district.

Local businesswoman Karen Dover purchased the Farmer's Exchange site on Broadway in 2003 and has since refinished and rehabilitated the building, turning it into an open-air craft market.
 

"I'm anti-urban sprawl," Dover said. "I think that it's to the detriment of town centers and to large town centers for the continual development out. We're constantly building new buildings instead of using what we already have. I would like to see more people pay attention to what we have. The existing spaces."

Dover said that although some of the existing spaces might not be ready-made to suit the needs of some businesses, that through some effort the spaces can be modified in order to utilize existing space.

"It's a detriment to the surrounding residential areas if you let the town centers fall down," Dover said. "I really think the old town centers are the image of the city. If you think of any city, their identity isn't built around the Wal-Mart regional shopping center. Everybody has Wal-Mart."

Though the "big box" stores are useful and important to a community, she said, the personality of the towns lie in the independent businesses often found in the downtown area.

"The strength of your city's identity, I think, is built on haying something unique that is special that people can remember you by," she said. "That's why I think it's important to invest in your town center."

Dover said the Mill Street Market is an example of that kind of investment. "It's hard for me to really absorb how much has changed because I was here when the roof was like a sieve and it smelled bad and the bats flying around " Dover said
 

Dover refurbished much of the existing structure, including the original hardwood flooring, which has been scrubbed, sanded and refinished, to showcase its natural beauty.

The smell is gone, too. The market currently is filled with fragrances from the natural soy candle shop, Natural Pleasures and Country Treasures, owned by Jan Caylor and her daughter Deanna Carter.

"(Carter) makes the candles right in her store so it fills the whole place with these great fragrances." Dover said. "She takes requests if there is (a fragrance) we really want."

Much of the natural beauty of the building has been carefully preserved, and Dover said she even chose the rustic, cast-iron lighting fixtures to blend with natural ambiance of the space.

"You're not going to go into Easton and see a hardwood floor in a building," Dover said. "It may seem like a little thing, but it really lends to the warmth.

"The structure is also home to Dover’s store, Red Letter Journals; Bella Bead & Jewelry, owned by Kristen Hastrich; an upscale, full-service salon and day spa The Hair Gallery, owned by Mandy Thompson; a unique fine fabric and quilting supply store, Always in Stitches, owned by Mary Clark and a yoga studio owned by Rich Hart.

Dover said she hopes the buzz about the Mill Street Market attracts more visitors to Grove City's Town Center area.

"My goal is not so much a vision for this space, but kind of a vision, working with other people, for the town center," she said. "I want to bring destination-type businesses for the town center to make the whole area a walkable shopping area and restaurant area.

"To me, it's like a warm, friendly area. Where people that come from other areas of Columbus or from out of town can come here and say, 'Wow. I really had the greatest experience in downtown Grove City.' It's a very pretty area, and we want to take advantage of what the city has done with the cityscape," she said. 'There aren't many places where as a family you can go and kind of hang out. I wouldn't call it a recreation area so much as a relaxation area."

The open floor plan makes for easy transition for customers from one store to another, and for close relationships among the women who opened shop in the building.

Hastrich said the openness of the building encourages the women to interact and share ideas.

"I could open my own business, but still have that contact," Hastrich said. "As opposed to a stand-alone shop where, if there are no customers in there I would be standing in there by myself."

She said the women used down time, or lulls in activity to discuss marketing strategies and to help one another create effective product displays.

"We interact with each other, we talk about marketing together," Dover agreed. "If we were in a strip mall where we were all closed in, I don't think that we would see or even talk to each other each day. This is like a little family. They are all independent businesses and we all care that each one is successful because we all know that if she has more customers, we’ll have more customers."

Dover said the business owners promote one another in the market, displaying one another's products or business cards near their own cash registers.