Re-imagining the corner store

There were many conditions attached to the permits for remodeling the building, including “half-street improvements” to the intersection, sidewalks, and a water-treatment swale to catch runoff from the parking lot. But the new owners felt the requests were appropriate and added to the property’s value.

If you’ve been curious about the metamorphosis of the former Bonny Slope Store at the corner of Thompson and South Road, the secret is out. The building, vacant for years after the old convenience store closed in the mid-90s, was purchased several years ago by a group of friends and neighbors. One of the reasons they loved the property is that it’s next to Bonny Slope Park.

The owners met with Washington County planners, who were surprised that they intended to keep the old cinder block structure. They actually built a building inside a building. To create a seismically safe structure, the old exterior walls were bolted to an interior steel frame.

The majority of the building comprises office space for the project management team of Tim Gallagher Designs (gallagherdesigns.com). Gallagher worked together with the owners to design every detail of the remodel.

One of the partners in the venture is Nick Olson. His company, PVS In-Store Graphics (pvsinstore.com), printed Gallagher’s designs directly onto the doors in the building.

Behind a roll-up door at the front of the building is a space reserved for a future retail business, probably something like a small café or ice-cream shop.

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