The northeast corner of 8th & Carpenter has improved dramatically since we first brought it to your attention back in the summer of 2011. Back then, we discovered a building with wonderful bones that had fallen on some really tough times. Though the wonderful bay windows were mostly intact, the windows on the upper floors were all covered in plywood. The cornice was in serious need of a paint job, but you could see that it was once magnificent. And the first floor, which was once a grocery store, retained its windows and looked like it was frozen in time somewhere around 1966. Given its prominent location just a block from the Italian Market, we figured it would only be a matter of time before redevelopment caught up to the building.
It took a little longer than we would have anticipated, but by the end of last year we learned that Chris and Heather Fetfatzes, owners of Hawthorne's, the Cambridge, and Tio Flores, purchased the building a couple years ago and were, at the time, in the process of renovating the building. We told you that they were building a bi-level apartment on the upper floors, and planning an "Italian taproom" called Grace & Proper on the ground-floor. As the months have passed, we've seen some progress at the building and if you pass by today you'll see that the building is looking amazing. They were even kind enough to pull off the awful vinyl awnings.
Goodness, that looks sweet. But if you look more closely, you'll notice something that a couple of readers have asked us about, wondering whether it's a cause for concern.
Yeah, that's a 'For Rent' sign, hanging just above the entrance to the retail space. So we can certainly understand the worry that experienced and capable restaurateurs are seemingly looking for somebody else to take over the ground floor space here. But worry not good people! For what we can tell, the Grace & Proper plan is very much still happening. The sign that you see at the corner is actually advertising the apartment upstairs whose renovation was recently completed. If you're looking for a place to live in Bella Vista with two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, and your budget is around $2195/mo, this could be your dream apartment. And perhaps dangerously for your aforementioned budget, an Italian taproom should soon be operating out of the first floor.