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Grimsby is booming, it's clear even from the highway while driving through. As more families settle into the area and new builds, like the waterfront multi-residential complexes go up, new commercial properties are opening to compliment growth in the commuter town. One commercial property that has been making waves through the community is the Station 1 Coffeehouse. Once the town's firehall, the coffeeshop redeveloped the building to fit it's own eclectic needs.
Station 1 Coffeehouse
Walk into the Station 1 Coffeehouse and you will find a reclaimed decor aesthetic, from the wood lining the walls to the furniture placed throughout. You can barely imagine the space as Grimsby's former main firehall, apart from the glass garage doors on either side of the building. The coffeehouse has become known for much more than just a great place to grab a cup of joe, the menu is robust with everything from baked goods to sandwiches, smoothies to local wines. The atmosphere combined with the quality of product has made the Station 1 Coffeehouse the go to spot in town for meetings, coffee dates and night time entertainment.
The space also features a mixed wood designed patio complete with a reclaimed wood wall that blocks out one side of the patio to get rid of that "parking lot" feel.
The coffeehouse doubles as a concert hall on the weekends with it's Firehall Concert series. They also host trivia, charity and spoken word events. With the success of these events, the space has become a social highlight within Grimsby.
You can visit their website here or their social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter
History of the Building
The building is located just out of Grimsby's downtown core but still along the Main St. commercial area. The building which was built in 1961, acted as the headquarters for Grimsby's fire department until 1993. The coffeeshop has borrowed it's namesake from this history and it's quite fitting.
Before the building became the home on Station 1, it held mixed uses including a gym called New Image Fitness.
Grimsby's Downtown Revitalization
Many buildings in Grimsby's downtown core have undergone revitalization. When the town first offered incentives through the Grimsby downtown community improvement plan in 2010, businesses took advantage. The plan includes incentives for facade improvement, development charge reduction, urban design/architectural drawings and property revitalization.
With it's success neighbouring communities of Beamsville and Vineland have followed suit, offering their own downtown revitalization incentives.
Niagara's Repurposed Fire Halls
Station 1, is not the only local business to reimagine a firehall. In Virgil, Air Cadets call the old firehall home for their meeting and office space. In Thorold, local clothing designer Shannon Passero, transformed the firehall into her own retail and design space. And in St. Catharines, 2M Architects restored the 1913 built Station 2 Firehall on Lake Street into their office space.
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