The search for the perfect studio

So we moved out of the Tremont studio (our first commercial studio location in 2006) at the end of February this year with the idea that we were going to find a new studio space soon after. We were at Tremont for a year-and-a-half and had a lease for purchase agreement. Not having much experience with commercial real estate we decided not to buy right away. When our lease was up we had a very thorough inspection done with the building, we found many many areas that needed major repair and to make a very long story short, we decided not to buy and find a different space.

Very soon after we moved our studio to our home, we found “the perfect spot” just a mile away from our old studio. After much negotiation with everything from build-out, drawing out floor-plans and a long wait to be approved, (we were going into very prime commercial space and had to prove we can handle it, business plan, show every single financial statement, etc), we determined it was best to hire an attorney to review the 30-page lease. Finally, everything was negotiated and approved and all we had to do was sign….this was in March. After staring at the papers for about a week, there was something about it that just didn’t feel right, so we decided to terminate the lease agreement. All that hard work with searching, negotiation, investing time and money and effort—it was discouraging to say the least.

During April we widened our search area slightly, this time returning to Chattanooga’s Southside district. When we were first started looking for a studio space three years ago, this is the place we had first visited. Time had passed and many things had changed from when we first visited and didn’t even want to get our of the car. Now Main Street is a thriving area and is truly revitalized.

We saw a vacant space and quickly told our realtor, (who was unbelievably supportive throughout the entire process) that we wanted to take a closer look. She scheduled an appointment with the owner of the building. The minute we walked into the space we knew it was THE perfect spot! From that point everything that happened is a blur and we signed the lease in May. We have been working on the gallery ever since. June was a whirlwind month with four weddings, most of them out of state and one out of the country, so that pushed us a little behind, but thank goodness for a couple months of free rent! Alas, July was a month devoted for the studio.

And now it’s August and it’s almost time to open…let us show you some photos of the studio outside and its surroundings. It is a 1600 sq ft storefront with residential lofts above. It is located next to a cool restaurant on one side and an amazing nonprofit art organization on the other. Directly across the street is a yoga studio and a beautiful paper and gifts store. One short block down the street is a bakery and soon-to-open a butcher shop, more restaurants, boutique shops and green-living companies moving in all along the street.

We are very excited to show you our second studio location and we can’t wait for you to come visit! I will post the before photos, in progress photos, and construction stories soon.


The front of the studio, (see the little white Cobblestone Rue Sign?)


A wider angle of most of the building...


Good ol' E. Main Street of Chattanooga Southside's Art District....


A full view of the entire building, (see how everything is being renovated?)




Across from us are the yoga studio and paper store. More businesses next to them coming soon :)


Next to the building across from us. It is just a shell right now, but already being leased by a company and construction is in the works.


A wider view across the street...