Seven months ago, West Chester resident Jack Conley purchased the Reuhlman Building, which sits at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Montana Avenue in the Westwood Business District. It’s home to 16 apartments and eight first-floor retail spaces, including Friend’s Market—a grocery store that opened last weekend. It’s also the new home of the
Broadhope Art Collective, which will celebrate its grand re-opening November 9.
Broadhope used to be located in the Glenmore Building in Cheviot, but the old space wasn’t suited to the artists’ needs. The Reuhlman has a big open space for classrooms and a separate area for Broadhope’s gallery, plus a classroom for the glass artists and their weekly classes.
“We’re consolidating down to what we want to be doing,” says Abby Langdon, one of the founding artists of Broadhope. “We hope to bring the whole collaborative effort to Westwood. We’re all about community, and Westwood is so community-oriented. We’re excited to contribute to the strong community vibe going on there, and we’re looking forward to being part of it.”
The three-story Reuhlman was built in 1937, and all but two apartments have been renovated since Conley purchased it. Each of the one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments has a fireplace, butler pantry, hardwood floors and high ceilings. Many of them still have the original trim. Currently, three of the one-bedroom apartments are available for rent, and the others are still undergoing renovations.
“When I was looking for retail tenants, I wanted business owners who also lived in Westwood and were committed to their business and neighborhood,” says Conley, who owns several other buildings in Westwood.
All eight retail tenants are local stores—a vintage shop, a CPA, a beauty parlor, a photography studio, Steve Chabot’s campaign office, and Broadhope and Friend’s.
“I’m very excited about the things that are going on with the revitalization of the Westwood Business District,” Conley says. “I’m proud to have Broadhope—an established community business—moving in, along with the other tenants.”
By Caitlin Koenig
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