After more than 30 years of turning old, unsightly stoves into beautiful items, Key Center Trading Post owner Don Fegley will be retiring from his stove restoration business — following the purchase of the building by Gig Harbor’s Ira and Alisa Specter. The couple, who purchased the building earlier this year, plan to turn it into a new professional services and retail center called “The Landing” sometime next year.
The couple, who own Next StepSystems, Inc., didn’t set out at first to buy a building for renovation. They were simply looking for a place to store their “faucet beanies,” a faucet cover product they market. As they looked around for a building, they found the Key Center Trading Post, which was for sale, a good fit.
“We thought we could restore the building and make it available to others,” Ira Specter said. Restoration is not new to the couple, who have lived in Gig Harbor since 1996. They previously restored their own home, which used to be a farmhouse.
The plans entail moving the entry to the center and adding an inside courtyard. Retail spaces and offices will be created on the left and ride sides. The building will be wheelchair accessible, and the spaces could range from 150 square feet to 1,500.
Specter said they are currently in discussion with potential tenants, and will start work on the interior at the end of January, when Fegley is scheduled to be out of the building. Potential tenants could be a healthy foods store, thrift shop, real estate office, massage therapy, ice cream shop, pottery studio and others. If all goes as planned, the renovations should be complete in April, with The Landing to open doors in June.
“I think it will fit very well” in Key Center, Specter said. “I think it will blend rustic and modern. Our vision for the old trading post is taking it a dramatic step forward… The community will be pleasantly surprised perhaps. They’ll be able to enjoy the building in a way they haven’t before.”
The Landing
To find out more about the concept for The Landing, visit www.gonextstep.com/Landing/Intro.html
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