Everett city officials played matchmaker recently, trying to pair vacant properties with displaced artists looking for affordable studio space.
Though no contracts were signed, city leaders scored the touring adventure a success, saying the approach to filling up empty space in and around Everett’s downtown core is worth repeating.
The artists and real estate brokers, who were representing the private property owners, walked away from the experience feeling grateful for the attention and hopeful that they might have a future together.
“Everybody thought it was a great idea, and the artists felt like they (weren’t) getting this kind of treatment in other cities,” said Carol Thomas, Everett’s cultural arts manager. “What can the city do to help property owners when times are tough? We can help by filling these nooks and crannies of space.”
The new program worked like this:
Thomas got the idea from a Ballard artist whose No. 1 concern has been finding affordable studio space.
So Thomas and other city leaders decided to put out the call over the Internet for displaced artists who might be looking for such spaces in Everett.
Then, they put together a list of vacant properties that might fit the needs of these artists.
The result? The city was flooded with responses from artists from as far away as California.
On Oct. 24, 36 of these interested artists boarded a chartered bus for a tour of these vacant spaces.
These spaces included heavy industrial garage-type areas appropriate for welding, storefront locations appropriate for a gallery, and unimproved warehouses outside of Everett’s downtown core.
“The more industrial a space, the more it seemed to meet their needs,” Thomas said.
Sean M. Straub of Coast/Sperry Van Ness commercial real estate services said these properties were indeed affordable, starting at 35 cents a square foot. In areas such as Seattle, these types of spaces would start at $1 or more a square foot, Straub said.
One of the more distinctive properties was a Quonset-hut-type space above Cafe Amore on Rucker Avenue.
The 25-by-90-square foot structure featured solid wooden floors, a view, good lighting, access to a restroom, an outside patio area and the soothing aroma of coffee.
Broker Dennis Wagner, who was representing owner Howie Bargreen, said improvements could be made within two months for an interested artist.
“If you like it, we’ll make it happen,” Wagner said.
For Seattle artist Tharyn Henderson, the Quonset hut represented an attractive space for an artist.
“The space provides the ability to be able to get back from your artwork and look at it, so the larger the space the better,” said Henderson, a painter.
An industrial property on the tour that had a concrete floor, exposed brick walls with tall ceilings and a huge loft space — going for 50 cents a square foot — appealed to mural and large projects painter Eric Grohe.
Grohe started painting in 1973 when he designed graphics for Expo ’74 in Spokane. His artwork continued to grow in scope and size, leading to his current large-scale trompe l’oeil murals.
Grohe said he’s lived a nomadic lifestyle for the past 14 years, recently working on sites in Spain and Florida, painting large public mural projects that typically take several months to complete.
Grohe said he has family in this area, including his 98-year-old mother.
“We’ve always been everywhere and this is the first time we could find a place to call home,” Grohe said. “This kind of space would allow us to say, yes, we can stay.”
With this artists tour, the city’s intention was to help introduce the displaced artists to the property owners. From this point on, the city does not plan on getting involved in lease negotiations, Thomas said.
Still, the city will probably do another artists tour of properties again and will eventually maintain a database of available spaces so that when artists call with a studio need, the city can put them directly in contact with the owner.
These spaces are perfect for artists, said Lanie McMullin, executive director of Everett’s economic development, because the basements or the upstairs of buildings may not be the first choice on the list for most people looking for space to rent.
But for artists, why not?
“The artists are a catalyst for every other use of retail space,” McMullin said. “And they become a big magnet for downtown — creating energy begets energy.”
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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