A couple of downtown Oxford businesses are moving this fall, but don’t worry they’re not leaving town.
The Ink & Paper Invitation Studio (40 S. Washington Street) and Beadifferent (14 N. Washington Street) are playing musical storefronts to meet changing needs.
Growing customer demand coupled with the need for a larger and more diverse selection of inventory were the driving forces behind the Ink & Paper Invitation Studio’s decision to move into the space Beadifferent presently occupies by November 1.
‘We have people come in looking for all types of things that we just can’t fit into this space,? said co-owner Tonya Panchula, of Oxford, noting her current store is under 400 square feet. ‘We’ve literally outgrown it already and to meet the demand we need to have a lot more space.?
That’s where Beadifferent’s current 1,800-square-foot location in the northeast quadrant comes in.
All that extra room will allow the Ink & Paper Invitation Studio, which Panchula opened in November 2004 with her partner Lake Orion resident Angela Mclean, to offer a full greeting card section, gift wrap, wedding and shower favors and gifts, calligraphy pens and two more lines of open paper stock, which Panchula described as a ‘huge hit.?
But don’t worry. Beadifferent, which opened in November 2003, won’t be left out in the cold. The bead store’s owners, Jim and Mary Lou Bielack, are literally moving across the street.
The Metamora couple puchased the building which used to house Susan’s Ceramic Studio (3 N. Washington Street) and The Scrapping Post (7 N. Washington Street), the latter of which had been heavily damaged by a fire in June 2004.
Mary Lou said plans are to either ‘lease or sell? the former ceramic studio ? ‘whichever comes first? ? and move Beadifferent into The Scrapping Post’s old location by October 1.
‘We gutted it down to the brick walls,? she said. ‘We’ve totally rebuilt, restructured, re-everything.?
Plans are to change the bead store’s decor, but still maintain its ‘more upscale? image. ‘We get a lot of compliments. People say, ‘This is the prettiest bead store I’ve ever been in,?? she said. ‘So I want to keep it like that.?
Beadifferent also plans to add an area where kids can purchase and play with plastic beads, while their parents shop, according to Mary Lou.
As for the four apartments above the two storefronts, Mary Lou said she and her husband plan to lease the two above the former ceramics studio and transform the other two above the future bead store into leasable office space.
Amanda Cassidy, executive director of the Oxford Downtown Development Authority, believes businesses moving around is ‘a good thing for the downtown.?
‘It means they’re growing, which is always a good sign,? she said. ‘Moving and expanding is great for the downtown.?