A storefront on College Street is being restored to its former glory.
Mitchener, Crowder and Stacey Certified Public Accountants is moving into the space, formerly occupied by Parker Furniture. And before it does, the building is getting an interior and exterior facelift.
Inside, the building will feature offices and partitions, but the outside is being restored to the days of old, as Gene Reid Construction works to add an oil-rubbed bronze awning and reopen the original transom windows.
The project is slated for completion on June 1, said Reid, climbing down from a ladder Tuesday afternoon, as he and four other workers continued work on the exterior.
“All we lack in here is stuff like lighting, flooring, drop ceiling and touch-up paint, we”ll be through,” said Reid, walking through the space, at 419 and 423 College St.
“We”re restoring the front … like it was in the day,” he added, noting that included removing a green awning, which had been taken across the Parker Furniture storefronts. Parker encompassed four buildings.
Gail Gwynup, who also owns the old Oddfellows and Alford Drugs buildings, owns the Parker Furniture buildings.
Reid has restored eight other downtown buildings — The Paint Store, the Oddfellows building, the old Alford Drugs building, the two buildings housing Looking Good clothing store, Gifts Etc. and the old Spiller building.
Mainstream Technologies, which opened late last year in the newly renovated Alford Drugs at 423 Main St., closed earlier this year due to lack of business.
Meanwhile, Antiquities on Fifth, which also opened late last year, in a portion of the old Parker Furniture Building, has been doing steady business.
“It”s been incredible. Columbus has really supported antiquities. … It”s just a fun atmosphere, and it”s a beautiful shop, and I think people really enjoy trying to find unique treasures,” said Jeanette Beard, owner of the store, which is an expansion of her store at 1223 Second Ave. N. “The traffic downtown has been incredible. I”ve been very pleased with the downtown. It”s just a wonderful feeling there right now. Everyone is trying to bring in unique shops.”
New coffee shops?
A new coffee shop is hoping to be another downtown success story this summer.
Gregg Davidson, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., president of United American Assurance, plans to open a coffee shop at 111 Fifth St. N.
Davidson, whose company has a branch in Columbus, has traveled to Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile, Ala., to meet with roasters and explore the most popular types of coffee.
“I want Columbus to have a really good coffee to pick from, like Birmingham,” said Davidson, who plans to offer the highest-rated coffee from Birmingham.
Columbus currently does not have a coffee shop in downtown, though there have been some failed attempts at the venture.
“We put a lot of research into it, and I think it would be good, not just for me but for Columbus,” Davidson said.
Davidson”s Coffee House on Fifth also would offer gourmet cupcakes and rotate artwork from local artists and college students.
A few months after opening, Coffee House on Fifth could have nearby competition. Jill Williams, owner of Bliss Yoga, plans to open a coffee shop of her own in the next six months, offering coffee, baked goods and smoothies. Williams has been scoping out downtown locations.
Also on the horizon for downtown is a photography studio. Ashley Allen Photography plans to open above The Dispatch offices on Main Street, in June.
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