Grand opening of businesses set for mid-July

Five businesses are in the midst of setting up shop on Lake Street in hopes of creating a new interest in the downtown location.

The businesses are iARCHiTECTURE, Vintage Design Group, Aiden’s Place Granola, The Agora Borealis and Nicole Spikes Photography. Their grand opening will kick off with a block party 4 to 8 p.m. July 17 in the 400 block of Lake Street in Shreveport.

Both iARCHiTECTURE and Vintage Design Group sought out the 400 block of Lake to revitalize the area. The two architectural firms are separately owned and operated.

Jeff Spikes, owner of iARCHiTECTURE, said his firm has doubled each year since 2011, causing him to seek more space. Spikes said he also wanted to find a location “fun enough” to support the company’s unique office culture.

Jason Cram, architect and managing partner of Vintage Design Group, said the Vintage Design Group team felt their renovations at Lake Street would be a first step in restoring the south side of the business district and another important piece in Shreveport’s goal of a vibrant downtown.

Another business new to Lake Street is Aiden’s Place Granola, which is co-owned by Kelli Cole and Courtney Grubbs. It’s a four-person family granola bakery whose owners boast “quality ingredients and home-crafted recipes.” The company’s website explains the granola is made in small batches to give it its unique taste and appeal.

Also offered on Lake Street will be The Agora Borealis business with its local artisan marketplace. The owners, Katy Larsen, Brandi Cade and Brandon Goodgion, said they hope to enrich the cultural opportunities of the community by offering artists a place to offer their work to the public. All of the products are locally made and many use recycled materials.

“One of our strongest passions is to be environmentally friendly, as well as being economically responsible. Everything we do keeps both of these goals in mind. From using energy-efficient appliances and alternative sources of power to providing you with products made in an environmentally efficient way, we relish in the thought of making this work with the smallest carbon footprint possible,” Goodgion said.

Vintage portraitures of newborns, infants, children and families by Nicole Spikes Photography will join the new businesses when they open in mid-July.

Working in her studio and on location, Nicole describes her style as “authentic, subject-driven and untethered to fad and fashion.”

Nicole said her new downtown location will “make the perfect backdrop and pegboard for continued business growth.”

iARCHiTECTURE and Vintage Design Group teamed up to renovate the space on Lake Street.

“We knew we wanted to create a space that showcased the ability of the team of design professionals that would be working there,” Spikes said.

The building was once home to the regional office of the Corps of Engineers. The exterior was unchanged to preserve the detailing reminiscent of Spanish-Mediterranean architecture, he said, adding the exteriors are good examples of popular early 20th-century architecture.

The interior is a different story, Spikes said, serving as an example of the firms’ design capabilities. He said the space is a blend of old and new and will be generally open with divisions only to separate the primary functions of the areas.

Original pressed tin ceiling tiles act as reflective material for indirect lighting. Spikes said 90 percent of the original tiles were saved in the remodeling. There are some more modern touches, he admitted, like the raw steel and cable rails highlighting the mezzanine area, which appears to levitate in the rear of the space.

Spikes provided some insight into the alleged “unique office culture” when he described the showpiece of the office.

“All of these elements are just the opening act for the true centerpiece of the space. We knew we had to find a whimsical form of conveyance to get us from the mezzanine level back to the ground floor. Zip lines were too dangerous and stairs too boring, but then we found the sweet spot when someone jokingly asked, ‘Where do we put the slide?’” –Joe Todaro