Back in November of '09 I wrote about a mostly vacant space on Elmwood across from Price Rite. The first floor was (and still is) home to Horizon Realty, while the second and third floors were close to vacant, and had been for a while. It seemed to me that two spacious floors in the Elmwood Village could use a creative boost - maybe a creative collaborative.
I decided to write a post calling out to some creative types who might be looking for inexpensive rent, but more importantly a shared creative environment where people could work together on projects. The call went out to artists, graphic designers, illustrators, programmers and anyone else who could contribute to a good mix. Surprisingly, the response that came back was exactly what I had been hoping for - a couple of website developers and designers, a graphic illustrator, a sign company, a creative entrepreneur (Tap Tracker and Party-Booth) and a guy who markets concepts.
Today these people all work on the second floor of the Horizon Realty building, alongside the newest tenant Roaming Buffaloes Outdoor Adventure Club. Not only did they all find the space desirable, they have already worked on projects together ranging from heading up The Brewery Strikes Back to creating a photo booth for the Lloyd's Taco Truck fundraiser. Elmwood Village Creative features Luminus Media, Lavelle and Lavelle Signs, Nickel City Graphics, online thymes LLC, TapTracker.net, and Roaming Buffaloes.
That means that the entire second floor is filled except for one office. For many of these start-ups this was their first brick and mortar office. The group has been busy fixing up the space, and thanks to the buy-in from Mike Hananel, CEO of Horizon Realty, they are all paying fair, all inclusive rents in an open-door environment. The group has become so tight-knit that an informal collaborative has been formed, and soon the third floor will be looked at for additional creative potential within the building.
The building has come a long way from where it was back in November. A once dull, outdated corporate floor has been transformed into a vibrant and busy atmosphere filled with young creatives. Some of them have even picked up apartments in the neighborhood so that they can bike and walk to work. It's been a fun project for everyone involved. Hopefully the third floor will be as smooth a process as the second floor. For information on Elmwood Village Creative, feel free to send me an email.
Elmwood Village Creative
257 Elmwood Ave (between Summer & North)
Visit Facebook page
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I decided to write a post calling out to some creative types who might be looking for inexpensive rent, but more importantly a shared creative environment where people could work together on projects. The call went out to artists, graphic designers, illustrators, programmers and anyone else who could contribute to a good mix. Surprisingly, the response that came back was exactly what I had been hoping for - a couple of website developers and designers, a graphic illustrator, a sign company, a creative entrepreneur (Tap Tracker and Party-Booth) and a guy who markets concepts.
Today these people all work on the second floor of the Horizon Realty building, alongside the newest tenant Roaming Buffaloes Outdoor Adventure Club. Not only did they all find the space desirable, they have already worked on projects together ranging from heading up The Brewery Strikes Back to creating a photo booth for the Lloyd's Taco Truck fundraiser. Elmwood Village Creative features Luminus Media, Lavelle and Lavelle Signs, Nickel City Graphics, online thymes LLC, TapTracker.net, and Roaming Buffaloes.
That means that the entire second floor is filled except for one office. For many of these start-ups this was their first brick and mortar office. The group has been busy fixing up the space, and thanks to the buy-in from Mike Hananel, CEO of Horizon Realty, they are all paying fair, all inclusive rents in an open-door environment. The group has become so tight-knit that an informal collaborative has been formed, and soon the third floor will be looked at for additional creative potential within the building.
The building has come a long way from where it was back in November. A once dull, outdated corporate floor has been transformed into a vibrant and busy atmosphere filled with young creatives. Some of them have even picked up apartments in the neighborhood so that they can bike and walk to work. It's been a fun project for everyone involved. Hopefully the third floor will be as smooth a process as the second floor. For information on Elmwood Village Creative, feel free to send me an email.
Elmwood Village Creative
257 Elmwood Ave (between Summer & North)
Visit Facebook page
This creative/collaborative environment concept seems to be taking off in numerous cities. Nice to see it B-Flo as well.