Juniper Studio Gets a Store Front!

shoes  //  top (on super sale!)  //  favorite jeans of all time

Many of you already saw this on Instagram, but I wanted to document here some VERY EXCITING NEWS! We are moving to a new studio space in downtown Mesa!! I’ve been trying to find a new office for Juniper Studio that can also have a retail component for a really, really long time now. I’m not exaggerating when I say we very seriously looked at and planned on about six other spaces, which makes my head spin when I think about all that wasted time and effort. All of the other spaces fell through for weird reasons and usually at the very last minute. This one came together VERY quickly and almost without effort, which makes me feel like it was truly meant to be. It just feels GOOD in here, guys! It is just the right amount of space, in just the right location. I couldn’t be happier about it – I keep pinching myself!!

The building is one of the oldest on Main street and was built in the late 1800s, which is old for Arizona considering we got statehood in only 1912! The building has served all sorts of functions over the decades, including a speakeasy in the crazy double barrel vault basement (there is a boarded up secret tunnel that was used for bootlegging during prohibition!), a Masonic hall on the second floor (which is now an architect’s office), an old-timey pharmacy, a Woolworth’s Annex and later on in the 60s and 70s, a fancy shoe store. My mom told me she saved her babysitting money for a whole summer to buy her first pair of black and white oxfords before 7th grade right in this VERY STORE! Isn’t that the coolest thing?!

We got the keys just last week and already we are about ready to start working here! I think we’ll be ready to move in desks this weekend! Here’s what the space looked like just a few days ago. The old beams on the ceiling were already painted black and the duct work was painted forest green. There was also a weird four foot strip of brown paint on walls that only managed to make the space feel darker and sort of squatty!

The previous tenant was a custom cabinet maker and the existing build out was already pretty close to what we need for our design offices, shoot space and a little bit of retail. To make it work, we only took out a couple walls, pulled out all the rubber base coving and painted everything bright white.

We debated whether or not we should have kept the black ceiling to help save on costs, but as soon as soon as the first coat of white paint was up, the space instantly looked twice as bright! Totally worth it!

As soon as the walls were painted too, I knew we made the right choice! Nothing like a bright white backdrop for a workspace!

We have some fun projects coming up for the shelving under the library ladder, the kitchenette and the bathroom, but for the most part the space is ready for us to move in! I can’t wait to share all of the fun things that we’ll be selling, displaying, sharing and shooting in our new studio! I am so grateful for this new chapter and so, so grateful for all of you! Thank you for following along as my little business changes and grows! I know this year will be the best yet. xo