Commercial open house set for Friday, November 1

The Manchester Pharmacy building has been empty since late July. Owners will hold this building, along with several other available properties open from 10 am – 2 pm on Friday, November 1, as part of a Community Commercial Open House.

As three of its larger retail stores closed within six months, the future of Manchester’s downtown has been a concern to many.

The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) have been contacting and working with a variety of different grocery store chains to help fill the gap left by the closing of Manchester Market, and have also joined forces for an innovative event this coming Friday, designed to attract new businesses to several vacant buildings in the downtown area.

A Community Wide Commercial Open House, sponsored by the village, DDA, and MACC, was originally envisioned by Jennifer Wojotowicz, owner of Proper Property Services on Adrian Street and the adjacent Shoppes at Alber Mill. Seven participants with available properties, including 108 E. Main (formerly Pyramid Office Supply), 110 E. Main (former Steelegrafix location), 128 E. Main (former pharmacy), 135 E. Main (second floor Office Suites) 201 E. Main (Shoppes at Alber Mill), 455 W. Main (formerly Manchester Market), 715 E. Duncan (former Double A/Pilot location), and 500 W. Madison St (currently housing Scrap Masters), will have an owner and/or representative available for tours.

The day will begin with a Q&A session at Two Black Sheep from 9:30-10 am, including representation from the village administration and council, the DDA, and Chamber; local lender Cindy Clark with Comerica, local insurance agent Janet Donnellon of State Farm, and possibly a title company representative to answer questions. There will be an introductory packet for each attendee, which will include the Gibbs study, a property spec sheet for each commercial participant, and any other information that may be considered valuable to attendees. Coffee and muffins will be served.

From 10 am-2 pm, each participant will hold their property “open.” This could be the building owner themselves, and/or their realtor. The property representative will be there to greet interested buyers or lessors, give a tour of their property, and answer any specific questions about the property.

Between 2-2:30 pm, attendees will reconvene as they circle back to the Two Black Sheep for a conclusion or further questions about available properties and the community.

Anyone who is interested in (or even simply curious about!) what is available for sale or for lease in our business community, is welcome to attend.

“The intention is to bring awareness to Manchester as an option for investment, as we are on the upswing of revitalization,” said Wojotowicz. “Our advertising for this event is reaching a statewide audience and I am very optimistic that this event will bring us some exciting results, especially because the commercial property owners and our local government are working together to bring a positive impact to our entire community with this project!

“The more we work as a team and realize that we are all in this together, the better the outcome for everyone … always.”

The former Pyramid Office Supply building at 108 E. Main has been on the market since January. Next door, the building at 110 E. Main has been for rent for just two months.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.