Old Garrison building finds new use

GARRISON — A Mount Auburn couple has given new life to a familiar building in Garrison.

Ten years ago, Nick Fisher and his wife, Charlotta Toth-Fisher, bought the Farmers Mercantile Hall at 100 W. Main St. for $13,000.

'We thought we would buy it and turn it into a place to have meetings, parties, dances,' Toth-Fisher said.

The building has been available for rent for three years. When the couple bought the building, it had no bathrooms. There was no kitchen, either.

The building now has a full size kitchen and two bathrooms. The couple has painted and put new windows in the front, Toth-Fisher said.

Fisher is working on tuck pointing some of the bricks on the exterior and plans to replace some of the tin ceiling on the mezzanine. He also is replacing the floor in an upstairs room.

The building has seen multiple uses, Toth-Fisher said.

'Last year, we were only missing one month when there was not an event there,' Toth-Fisher said. 'People have rented it for parties. This year we've started doing some music events.'

On Nov. 7, two local musicians headlined — Todd Frank and Sam Thompson — in the fifth music performance of the year at the building.

Last year, an event called the Idiot Jam was held there, featuring acoustic and folk musicians.

Fisher said the response from the community has been positive so far. People who attend events at the mercantile hall seem pleased with its appearance, he said.

Word of mouth also has helped create awareness about the building, he added.

'We like old buildings like that and we thought maybe have a place where people could have meetings, family reunions, or we could put on music events,' he said. 'It seemed like it was suitable for that type of use.'