When David Peavy bought the old Ritchie Grocery building a few years back, he showed Georgia Hubnik some photos of the long-abandoned interior and asked if she wanted to put an art gallery in there. "David is certainly the visionary, because I couldn't see it at first," said Georgia, a retired art teacher at Texarkana Arkansas School District.
Managing the art gallery has been Georgia's "motivation to get up" since retiring. "I love sharing the art in the building with the community - it's my passion," she said.
The gallery is part of 1894 City Market, located downtown at 105 Olive St.
The first phase of the building renovation was opened to the public a few years ago, as the 1894 Art Gallery; It took up part of the first floor. The 1894 Loft apartments were completed on the third floor this past year. The rest of the first floor is now open as part of the expanded gallery space, with private viewing rooms available for collections.
The second floor and basement are both being remodeled as well to be rented venue space. The upstairs space, "Studio 71," will have a '70s vibe, complete with vintage furniture and old movie posters. David has gathered the décor and is doing all the work himself and anticipates a fall opening.
"I've got two weddings booked in Studio 71 this fall, so it has to be ready," David said.
The last project in the building will be the basement, to be named "1923 Banana Club," a reference to the space where the groceries, including bananas, were stored. According to David, it will have the feel of a 1920s speakeasy with a steampunk twist and a stage for performances. The décor will include cleaned-up machinery parts and gears found in the basement.