'First Friday' turnout signals hope for art district's future, as recovery continues
Railroad Square Art District's monthly festival drew a crowd about a month after two tornadoes swept through the area. Uncertainty about the district's future looms, as shops reopen.
Tallahassee’s arts and culture district came alive on Friday evening about a month after two tornadoes swept through the area, damaging many of its buildings.
“It’s a nice crowd,” said Kellie Hardy, a local resident who attended this month’s “First Friday” festival at Railroad Square Art District with her husband. “This is a huge part of the Tallahassee community — it brings everyone together.”
The district held its monthly “First Friday” festival on schedule this month after cleanup crews spent weeks clearing debris from the district’s roadways and putting up fences around severely damaged buildings. Many businesses that have reopened since the storms welcomed visitors, while other vendors in the district set up tables and tents at an outdoor market.
Hardy says she and her husband usually attend the monthly festival, which serves as a “date night” for the couple. This time, they brought friends who wanted to listen to a live rock ‘n’ roll band perform near the front entrance. “This is really our art district, and there’s nothing like it.”
The festival offered visitors street performances, live music, karaoke, food trucks, outdoor and indoor games, an outdoor market and special discounts at local shops.
Local resident Brendan Clark says it’s been a few years since he’s attended a “First Friday” festival, but he wanted to see how the district’s recovered since the tornadoes.
“For a while, it sounded like it wasn't going to happen,” Clark said, referring to the festival. “But there's not that much tornado damage.”
Before the storms, the district was home to an eclectic array of about 70 locally-owned businesses and nonprofit organizations, including vintage and novelty shops, art galleries, studios, entertainment venues, theaters, arcades, restaurants and bookstores.
Vivid, colorful murals are painted in the walls of buildings throughout the district, giving visitors the experience of walking through an outdoor art exhibit.
“None of the rest of Tallahassee is like that — it’s a refreshing change of pace,” Clark said.
Nearly a couple dozen businesses have reopened, and more will open in the coming months. Some shops are closed permanently, and others are figuring out a path forward.
Local painter Jim Russell was among several local vendors that had a table set up at an outdoor market in the district.
Before the tornadoes, Russell showcased some of his work inside Feeling Art Collective and Able Artists Gallery. “I had my stuff in those two buildings, which were affected by the tornadoes.” Both galleries plan to reopen in the district later this summer.
Most of Russell’s art was salvageable, despite water damage to the interiors of both buildings where his work was displayed.
Able Artists Gallery was destroyed in the storms, and the district’s owners plan to demolish the building. “I'm very, very fortunate because when I saw the building, I thought ‘My stuff is done,’” Russell said. “I just thought it was gonna’ be spread all over Tallahassee, like raining art.”
Some organizations plan to reopen in the coming months, while others operate without a building
Able Artists Gallery, an art gallery for people with disabilities, will reopen in a new location in the district in July.
“We’re still staying in Railroad Square; we thought it was important,” said Karen Walker, the gallery’s co-founder. “It’s not just about the space and having our art there. It was a place where people could come and feel welcomed.”
The new space is half the size of the former gallery, and it will likely feature local artists only, Walker said. “We have seven artists for sure who have reached out and want to continue.”
Talquin Trading Co., a vintage goods store that was housed in another building that will be torn down, will open in two storefront spaces where Rare Bird Interiors and Curio were formerly located, said Jackie Skelding, owner of Rare Bird. “I’ve actually decided not to reopen Rare Bird Railroad Square and instead just keep my Midtown location.”
Skelding’s partner Gregg Pla owns Talquin. “We’re going to be kind of in construction phase rebuilding his shop in those spaces probably for June and July, and hope to maybe have his shop open in late summer, early fall,” she said.
The Mickee Faust Club is an artists and activists theater for “the weird community of Tallahassee,” its website states. The building’s structure remains intact, but strong winds from last month’s storms blew off the theater’s roof, allowing rain to drench everything inside.
“We’re homeless now,” said Terry Galloway, the theater’s director. “We can’t get back in there. We’d have to gut it and start all over.”
Several other local acting groups used the space to put on shows for the public, including Theater with a Mission, the Tallahassee Hispanic Theater and the Southern Shakespeare Company, she said. “Not only are we without a home, but those organizations that used Faust are without a home.”
The theater provided a welcoming space for actors and actresses with disabilities. It had an accessible bathroom, its stage had a ramp and performances included closed captions. “We’re known around the world as being one of the most accessible nonprofits.”
Galloway says her acting club was rehearsing for their “Queer as Faust” festival, which takes place during Pride Month, during the same month the tornadoes hit. Without a building, the group performed a cabaret on the street during “First Friday.”
The club will continue performances this year at House of Music Tallahassee, located at 2011 S. Monroe Street. And mobile performances are possible, Galloway said.
It remains uncertain whether the club will get back into its theater in Railroad Square, but Galloway is helping to lead an effort to find buyers who would invest in rebuilding the parts of the district that received significant storm damage, including the theater.
Efforts to save Railroad Square are underway, but the future remains uncertain
While many of the district’s buildings survived the tornadoes, others still need major repairs and at least a couple of structures will be demolished, said the district’s owners Adam and Lily Kaye.
The Kayes are siblings who inherited the property from their mother Nan Boynton after she died about two decades ago. Over the years, the Kayes have managed the property and invested in revitalizing areas of the district. After the storms, the family issued a statement, explaining that they’re unable to continue managing the entire property.
“Our resources to continue financially supporting the entirety of the 8-acre property are depleted,” they wrote. “It has always been our hope that the city of Tallahassee, or a related government entity, would purchase at least a portion of Railroad Square, and make it a publicly run or non-profit-owned community resource.”
Many of the district’s warehouses were constructed in the 1940s, and most of the buildings weren’t insured. “Due to the age and condition of the buildings, as well as the high insurance rates in Florida, the expense of property insurance would not have allowed us to keep rental rates affordable for our tenants,” the Kayes wrote. They explained that it’s not “financially feasible” to “preserve” or “attempt to recreate” the buildings “due to modernized building codes.”
“We need a community effort to buy this land and make this into what it could have been with the city’s help, which is a performing arts village,” said Mickee Faust Club Director Terry Galloway, who’s been meeting with city and county officials, as well as other local institutions that might buy the property. “I’m meeting with people in this town who know business, know money and who have done this kind of thing.”
Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor has been helping to lead the effort to preserve the arts and culture district. “What I’m trying to do is cast a wide net to try to get as many leads as I can,” he said. “Once it reaches a certain point, I’ll basically refer those to the owners of Railroad Square in the hopes that they can come up with something that will allow us to retain as much of the district as we can.”
Last month, the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency Board, which includes city and county commissioners, voted to have staff provide “technical assistance” to the owners of Railroad Square to help with their efforts to preserve the art district. Minor made the motion for the vote, and attended this month’s “First Friday” with his family.
“Railroad Square is like a funky, eclectic part of Tallahassee, and we don't really have another place like it,” Minor said. “If we lose Railroad Square because of the tornadoes, and either parts of it are sold to other interests or the whole thing, that really does take away a unique part of our community.”
Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow also attended this month’s “First Friday” festival. “Local officials, artists and our neighbors should come together and discuss how we can secure a future for our arts and culture district for the next generation,” he said.
At last month’s Blueprint meeting, Mayor John Dailey said that the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency, which provides funding for redevelopment projects in the city’s downtown and Southside neighborhoods, doesn’t have the money to buy Railroad Square. Dailey was also the only member of the Blueprint board to oppose providing “technical assistance” to the owners of Railroad Square.
Many shops in Railroad Square are open for business
Nearly a couple dozen local businesses in the district have reopened since the storms and some saw a boost in sales during “First Friday.”
Flippin’ Great Pinball offered its $5 unlimited play special, said owner Rob McDole. “It was a very successful ‘First Friday,’ and business was much better this weekend also,” he said. “Prior to that, sales were down forty percent since we’ve reopened. I believe that was due to most of the public thinking nothing in Railroad Square was open.”
The Bespoke Rabbit also saw an increase in sales during the festival, said co-owner Laurie Suzuki. “It was a good First Friday,” she said. “A lot of people came out to support the small businesses and artists that make up Railroad Square.”
Suzuki says many people told her that they “were happy to see us reopen as quickly as we did.”
“Some told us that they’ve been supporting Railroad Square for many years and are glad we’re so resilient.”
Here’s a list of some of the local businesses that have reopened since the storm:
The Other Side Vintage
Obsessions Gift Shop
Cap City Video Lounge
Kameleon Kava & Coffee
Crystal Portal
Campus Greek
Flippin’ Great Pinball
Fat Cat Books
Phaze One Skateshop
Flamingoz A Taste of Miami
Food Hall restaurants
Wonsaponatime Vintage
Skinner American Goods
The Bespoke Rabbit
New World Rides
Halisi Africa
The Bee’s Knees
Lotus Flowers Candles and Wellness
Sweet Boozy Cakes Bakery & Cafe
If you know of a Railroad Square business that has reopened and isn’t included in this article, please email thepanhandlepress@protonmail.com.
"Mayor John Dailey said that the Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency, which provides funding for redevelopment projects in the city’s downtown and Southside neighborhoods, doesn’t have the money to buy Railroad Square"
--hold up. We have 20 million for upgrading the stadium but we don't have money for this? How much could 20 million do for railroad square?