Rust Belt Market Inks Lease for Vacant Old Navy Building

It’s official — there’s a new incubator coming soon to Ferndale.

Chris and Tiffany Best of Oxford have been developing the Rust Belt Market, an incubator for artists to control their art and sales, for a year and planned to use 5,000 square feet of a 15,000-square-foot vacant Old Navy building at 22801 Woodward Ave. to make that vision a reality.

As of Monday, the couple holds a one-year lease on the entire space, all 15,000 square feet.

“It would have been a lot for us and the property owner to divide the space physically and electrically,” Tiffany Best said. “So, we worked out a one-year lease that suited both our needs.

“There are less headaches this way.”

The larger space increases the potential that Rust Belt Market will become a regional destination and a place to sell, she said. But looking out into the estimated 13,000 square feet of open, bare space, Tiffany said now that the lease has been signed, “it’s the calm before the storm.”

There hasn’t been another business in the building since the Old Navy closed four years ago and there is much remodeling to be done. “The space has lots of potential,” Tiffany said. “Everything just needs a little TLC.”

The building had its first round of city inspections and subsequently, repairs were made. There will be another inspection to pass in order to obtain a certificate of occupancy.

A distinct chemical smell pervades the air from the non-stop cleaning that’s taken place over the last couple of days. The concrete floor has been scuffed, scratched and soiled. There were tire marks there, Tiffany said, because cars featured in the Woodward Dream Cruise were parked on it at some point.

Since there's more area to work with, Tiffany said they need to determine a new market layout. Originally, 50 spaces, 5-by-7 foot each, were planned, but now space size may be subject to change. However, it will not affect pricing, Tiffany said. Rent remains projected at $60 a day for weekends or $100 for the entire weekend.

As for the overall look of the market, Tiffany said they have some ideas, drawing inspiration mainly from London’s Dover Street Market, a high-end fashion retailer. “We really want to get away from the traditional folding table and cloth look,” she said.

The overall goal is to open the space up and make it more inviting, she said. They want to remove the bushes in front of building’s windows, allowing people to look in. They’re also thinking about making a stage for live music to provide some ambiance. “Just something to enjoy while shopping,” Tiffany said.

If the Bests are able to stay longer than a year, Tiffany said they’d like to create more space by ripping out the changing rooms.  However, aside from the remodeling and cleaning, the couple is also focusing heavily on scheduling, keeping track of interested artists and promoting the market through social networks.

The couple recently quit their day jobs in order to fully commit to the market, which they hope to open as soon as the first weekend in May. “I just want to start stuff,” Tiffany said. “It’s really hard for me to wait.”

Before they officially open, Tiffany said they want to plan a day to have artists and others check the space out.

Ferndale Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Cristina Sheppard-Decius said it is “great to finally see this location filled” and “exciting to see a lot of people anticipating it.”

However, she warned that normally, remodeling takes longer than most people anticipate. Generally, she said, build out for retailers takes four months. “I know from what I’ve seen, it always takes longer than people expect,” she said. “I always hope to be proven wrong.”

She sees the Rust Belt Market as a great asset to the area, with potential to improve the overall economy of the area. “We look forward to having them,” she said.

The Bests will attend the Rust Belt to Artist Belt III conference in April to promote the market and network, Tiffany said. The conference will discuss how post-industrial cities can be reinvented by creativity.

This is the first time the conference has been held in Detroit and Tiffany considers it “a weird coincidence.” No one commented on the name similarity, but “I’m sure it’ll come up,” Tiffany said.