3 commercial tenants land at Artspace Hamilton Lofts

Three new commercial tenants will fill commercial spaces being renovated at historic buildings in downtown Hamilton.

The Almond Sisters Bakery, Unsung Salvage Design Co. and Renaissance Fine Art Supplies will occupy about 3,000 square feet on the ground floor of the $11.8 million Artspace Hamilton Lofts. City Councilman Tim Naab announced the tenants at a Hamilton Chamber of Commerce reception.

Minneapolis-based Artspace and Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton are partners on the project, which has renovated the historic Mehrum and Lindley buildings at 222-224 High St. As part of the development, Artspace is creating 42 units of live-work spaces tailored for artists.

Construction is about 50 percent complete and the project is expected to be complete in the spring, officials said. Residential leasing will begin in January or February with occupancy expected to begin in May. A public information session for prospective tenants is scheduled Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton.

“We are thrilled to have commitments from three great organizations while we’re still under construction,” said Sarah White, director of property development for Artspace. “The owners of each of these businesses have been great partners ... and they’ll each be a tremendous asset to the project and the community.”

Hamilton natives Jenni Hubbard and Brandi Carder own Almond Sisters Bakery. The bakery will produce fresh, handmade artisan baked goods.

Dondi Carder, Jason Carder, Justin Carder and Scott Hubbard are owners of Unsung Salvage Design, which will produce custom furniture and original accent pieces, screen printed T-shirts, posters and other digital media under their Unsung Ink label.

Rick Jones and Chris Jones are owners of Renaissance Fine Art Supplies, which will provide supplies and materials to artists. The business will specialize in items not available elsewhere in Southwest Ohio. Jones is executive director of the Fitton Center.

The city of Hamilton, Ohio, Housing Finance Agency, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Ohio Development Services Agency, the Hamilton Community Foundation and U.S. Bank, and individual donations provided project funding.

The Mehrum Building, a French Renaissance-style building built in 1900, and the Lindley Block, built in 1913, are internally connected. A remodeling of the buildings done in the 1970s covered the original storefronts with a metal screen. Last year, the screen was removed to restore the facades.