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New
owners bring new plans to Key Center building
By Rodika Tollefson, KP News
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
©Copyright 2005-2008, Key Peninsula
News, all rights reserved.
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