Tallahassee's Railroad Square Art District will reopen in phases
Some shops in Railroad Square could reopen in the coming days and weeks, but the district won’t look the same.
For the last week, Lily Kaye has stayed up until midnight every night, working to help businesses in Tallahassee’s historic arts and culture district reopen.
“It is not easy to make progress, with resources being strapped throughout the area and the enormity of the destruction,” said Kaye, who owns and manages Railroad Square Art District with her brother Adam Kaye. "We are proud and grateful to say that progress has been made every day.”
Since two tornadoes tore through the area last Friday, they have been in “crisis mode,” with both of them working late into the night, she said. Cleanup crews have covered roofs with tarps and installed new utility poles, while also working to clear debris and remove fallen trees.
“We are doing everything we can to get as many businesses as feasible back up and running,” Kaye said. Since the storms, she and her brother have been busy meeting with contractors, updating tenants, assessing property damage and figuring out how they’re going to rebuild. They expect the district to reopen in phases, starting in the coming days or weeks, but they haven’t set a definite timeline, she explained.
The city’s utilities department has restored power to the area, though some businesses won’t have electricity until the necessary repairs are made to their units, a city spokesperson said.
Security guards have been stationed onsite to prevent people from coming on to the property while recovery is in progress. “We know that people are very curious to see what Railroad Square looks like,” Kaye said. “But we really need the community to stay away from the property right now, until it is safe to walk around.”
Two tornadoes brought unprecedented damage to the historic art district
Preliminary survey results from the National Weather Service show two EF2 tornadoes tracked through the area surrounding Railroad Square and converged at the Capital City Country Club Golf Course, located about 1.5 miles southwest of the district, as part of a severe storm system that pushed through Tallahassee last Friday.
Most of the buildings on the eight-acre property were damaged, and about half might be able to reopen in the near future. “That's just an estimate based on the limited information we have just a few days after the disaster,” Kaye said.
Before the storm, the district was home to an eclectic array of specialty gift shops, vintage stores, music venues, small theaters, art galleries and restaurants. Visitors to the district were greeted by vivid murals painted on the outside of several of its multi-colored buildings, which were industrial warehouses decades ago.
On every first Friday of the month, the district came alive at night for its “First Friday” festival. Stores stayed open later than usual and offered patrons special deals, the sounds of live jazz and rock n’ roll music filled the air, drum circles were common, and local artists were available to greet gallery visitors and talk about their work.
Railroad Square will look slightly different after recovery
While the plan is to restore as much of the art district as possible, it’s “not going to look exactly like it did before,” Kaye said. “It’s just not possible.”
Some of the warehouses were constructed in the early 1940s, property records show. “Building standards are different now,” she said.
Formerly an industrial park, the property was converted into an arts and culture district in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Lily and Adam Kaye’s mother Nan Boynton. After she died in 2002, the Kayes took over managing the district.
At least two buildings in the district will be demolished, Kaye said. “They are very clearly destroyed.”
About nine buildings are still being assessed to determine the extent of damage, and another five have repairable damage, Kaye explained. “The good news, though, is that there are maybe three or four buildings that could open almost immediately.”
They don’t plan to wait until demolition work is complete before allowing businesses in undamaged or repaired units to reopen, she said. Instead, they’ll put fences around buildings that must be torn down to keep people out.
A partial reopening isn’t “too far away,” she added.
Business owners look forward to reopening in the coming weeks
Local businessman Richard Manesco, who owns one of the buildings in Railroad Square, has also been working to have his units ready in the coming weeks. “I’m definitely hoping before First Friday,” he said. “I’m trying my darndest to be back open.”
Manesco says he’s dried out his units, and he’s almost finished replacing the roof on his building, but he doesn’t want to reopen until the surrounding property is safe and secure. “I’ll respect their wishes,” he said, referring to the Kayes. “But indeed I want to open as soon as I can.”
One of Manesco’s tenants is Flippin’ Great Pinball, a family-friendly arcade, which was set to move into the space next door in the same building next month, said owner Rob McDole. “The space that we're in currently didn't get as much damage, but the space that we're moving into, got a lot of water damage and flooding.”
Soon after the storm, McDole and his wife were able to dry out the building and mitigate potential water damage to the building and their pinball machines.
Repairs on the building’s roof began the Saturday morning after the tornadoes, which has protected his business from further water damage, he said.
Like many business owners in the district, McDole didn’t have his items insured. "We have general liability and the building coverage as is required, but for content, it's usually cost-prohibitive for us, unfortunately.”
He’s still able to pay his two employees, and he doesn’t think he’ll need to take out a loan or sell equipment to cover the costs while the business remains closed, as long as they can reopen soon, McDole said. “At least for our current space, we don't see any problems with being able to open as soon as power and internet has restored.”
Revenue continues for some businesses, despite closure
Inside Skinner American Goods, a custom leather and denim store located toward the back of the district, the only sign that a storm had been through the area was a “tiny bit of water” that had seeped under the front door, said owner Daniel Skinner. “We didn't have any leaks in the roof or anything like that,” he said. “We were somehow miraculously unscathed.”
Skinner says when he visited his shop to check on it earlier this week, he found that the electricity had been restored, and he’s hoping to reopen in the coming days.
“They've been really good about keeping us updated as much as possible, Skinner said, referring to the Railroad Square management team. "That has made me feel really confident about keeping my business where it's at and hopeful for the future.”
Skinner says he custom makes denim and leather products at his shop in Railroad Square, but most of his customers place their orders online. “Online orders are still rolling in,” he said. “We haven’t seen too many issues with lost revenue or anything like that.”
As for other businesses in the district, he hopes they can reopen soon and the community will continue “thriving,” Skinner said.
Skinner’s next door neighbor, Rare Bird Interiors, a designer vintage furniture store, didn’t fare as well during the storm. “From the outside, the front of our building’s fine, the majority of our roof is fine, but we had a lot of water damage from our skylight blowing out and it raining inside the store for two days,” said Jackie Skelding, the shop’s owner. “We lost quite a bit of inventory.”
Skelding’s partner Gregg Pla’s business Talquin Trading Co., also located in Railroad Square, was completely destroyed in the storm. “We’re trying to stay positive and figure out a path forward,” she said.
In March, she opened a second location for Rare Bird Interiors, located on E. 6th Avenue, in Midtown. “If we hadn't done that, then we would be left with nothing.”
The Midtown location wasn’t damaged in the storms, and has a larger showroom than the Railroad Square location. “Thank goodness for the Midtown location,” she said. “That’s going to be supporting our family entirely.”
Skelding says she and her partner hadn’t purchased property insurance for their Railroad Square businesses before the storms because the cost to insure older, industrial warehouse buildings was too high. “Very few people want to insure things in Railroad Square.”
Right now, they’re raising money for their businesses through a GoFundMe page, and the business is having a 15% off sale through Sunday at Rare Bird’s location in Midtown.
“I really hope that maybe the city will consider doing some grants similar to what they did during COVID for this event, rather than just disaster loans,” Skelding said.
Obsessions Gift Shop, an art store and studio space that helps people with autism, only received a little bit of damage from the storms. “We got water on our floor,” said owner Betty Proctor. “A couple of our paintings were waterlogged.”
Proctor also owns MPAC or Motivating People through Arts and Crafts, a nonprofit organization that helps people on the autism spectrum learn employment and social skills and express themselves through art. While the shop is closed, they’re working with clients one-on-one at her home, but she’s looking forward to getting back into her space in Railroad Square.
“They’re really trying hard to reopen it,” she said. “As a business person, we’re grateful that Railroad Square is working hard to do that.”
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