The Root is celebrating its grand opening.

Photo credit: The Root. 

Brigid gave me a tour a few weeks back, and the interior is amazing. It's another first-rate job by Resch Construction. The Green Mouse was told earlier today that work is beginning anew on the Schmitt Furniture facade improvement following a period of dormancy, and I believe Todd Coleman is moving forward with windows, pain and awnings on the corner of Market and State.

I'm looking forward to a whole year of Pints&union and The Root, as I believe we can only help each other. Best wishes to the Morrisseys, who are wonderful people.

New Louisville-area coworking space to open this week, by Marty Finley (Louisville Business First)

The Root, an 8,000-square-foot center that converted a former grocery store in a historic building into a technology hub, has set its grand opening for 9 a.m. Friday at 110 East Main St. in downtown New Albany.

The Root is a venture of father-and-daughter duo Mark and Brigid Morrissey. Its resources include conference rooms, wireless Internet service, coffee and snacks, printer/fax/copy machines, business mailboxes and other accommodations found in an office environment.

The Root has 14 office spaces and three conference rooms in an open-floor concept. It has 23 members but expects that to quickly grow with the space available, according to a news release. The plan is to create a collaborative workspace for the area's "doers, thinkers and creatives."

"Our goal is to provide a multitude of work environments where our passionate members can be most efficient," Brigid Morrissey said in the release. "We believe that the work you do with the community inside these walls can have a major impact on the community beyond the walls" ...

The Root coworking space approaches completion at 110 E. Market, next door to Pints&union.

About a month ago, Steve Resch's crew made the final big push to get the Pints&union buildout finished so Joe Phillips' team could open the pub. Since then the heavy lifting of renovation has shifted next door to do the same for The Root, which now has entered the stretch drive toward completion.

Plant the seed, watch it grow. Start digging in your roots.

The Root provides a grounded co-work space to help your business flourish by connecting unconnected people in a versatile environment. Our vision is to successfully serve, connect, and empower professionals throughout our community, allowing for innovation and discovery in a serene, creative environment.

As with the pub, the planning period began more than a year ago.

New Albany coworking space to give independent workers a place to thrive; Father, daughter team want to help new businesses grow, by Danielle Grady (Tom May Content Rights Amendment)

NEW ALBANY — Mark Morrissey didn’t know what a coworking space was a few years ago. His daughter, Brigid Morrissey, had to explain it to him.

Now, the two locals are opening one in downtown New Albany — and they’re trying to educate others on what it is and why they believe it’s such a good idea.

“I’ve learned a lot about it,” Mark said. “So I’m confident that anybody who knows nothing about it will know as much as I do eventually.”

At the Morrissey’s 110 E. Market St. coworking space, called the Root, independent workers, such as freelancers and building-less business owners, will be able to work away from home in comfort and collaborate with other members ...

I'm delighted to get to know the Morrisseys, and to me, there's a great deal of potential symmetry between The Roots and Pints&union. Very soon, we'll find out.

Previously: 

Interior views of 110 E. Market St., once Ace Loan, now being transformed by Resch Construction into The Root coworking center.

Interior views of 110 E. Market St., once Ace Loan, now being transformed by Resch Construction into The Root coworking center.

Looking up from the 2nd to 3rd floors.

Yesterday I chanced upon Steve Resch as he emerged from his work-in-progress at 110 E Market Street, the former Ace Loan & Sporting Goods, now being renovated to become The Root coworking space.

He was holding a prescription booklet and vial from the 1920s, artifacts left behind by the pharmacy that once operated upstairs, as well as a discarded theater ticket from 1897.

Steve let me peep inside as the second and third floors, unused for half a century prior to reclamation, are being cleared of debris.

Urban layers: The ancient unknown courtyard behind The Root (where Ace Loan used to be) has been opened to access -- eventually.

And another Resch project to the left.

Two new stairways are being built.

Facing Market Street from the 2nd floor.

The mysterious courtyard in back.

Ground/1st floor.

1st floor looking east toward the future pub.

The Root (coworking space) coming to the building where Ace Loan used to be.

Windows. Windows. WINDOWS.

The reclamation project began almost exactly two years ago.

You know, that building where Ace Loan & Sporting Goods used to be (110 E Market St).

More power to the Morrisseys, but let's not forget Steve Resch's vision.

New Albany coworking space to give independent workers a place to thrive, by Danielle Grady (Make Alabama Great Again)

Father, daughter team want to help new businesses grow

NEW ALBANY — Mark Morrissey didn’t know what a coworking space was a few years ago. His daughter, Brigid Morrissey, had to explain it to him.

Now, the two locals are opening one in downtown New Albany — and they’re trying to educate others on what it is and why they believe it’s such a good idea.

“I’ve learned a lot about it,” Mark said. “So I’m confident that anybody who knows nothing about it will know as much as I do eventually.”

At the Morrissey’s 110 E. Market St. coworking space, called the Root, independent workers, such as freelancers and building-less business owners, will be able to work away from home in comfort and collaborate with other members.

The Root is a timely enterprise as 29.3 million people in the United States worked independently either full- or part-time in 2016, according to MBO Partners’ annual State of Independence study. That number is expected to grow to 34.1 million by 2021 — constituting 29 percent of the private, non-farm workforce ...

The newspaper glances belatedly at the former Ace Loan and Good Times buildings.

What the Green Mouse knows, he isn't telling. Not yet. Meanwhile, NA Confidential previously gave consideration to both of these buildings.

June 2016

You know, that building where Ace Loan & Sporting Goods used to be (110 E Market St).

December 2016

Has time run out for Good Times? If so, what's next at 114 East Market?

Just imagine if the downtown furniture stores had windows. A boy can dream ...

Old Ace Loan & Sporting Goods store in New Albany to be converted, by Danielle Grady (Son of Cooking School Coming Soon)

Local developer also bought Good Times Bar & Grill

NEW ALBANY — A local developer has plans for the old Ace Loan & Sporting Goods location in downtown New Albany.

Steve Resch, who bought 110 E. Market St. a few years ago, plans to convert the building into a multi-tenant office space for professionals such as realtors or accountants.

“It’s basically geared toward people that want office space and want a building to work out of and only need one or two offices or a cluster of space,” Resch said.

You know, that building where Ace Loan & Sporting Goods used to be (110 E Market St).

Atypically, the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission has little to say about 110 E. Market Street, identifying the former Ace Loan & Sporting Goods as an Italianate commercial building of 1880s-era construction.

During the past year, Steve Resch's crew has been busy rehabilitating this structure.

Late 2014 (Google street view).

Late summer 2015 (NAHPC).

June 2, 2016.

And, a glance into the ground floor interior.

Strange but true: Ace Loan & Sporting Goods operated for 52 years, until the spring of 2015, and the owner never once went upstairs or down. In fact, the stairs going up either removed completely or enclosed.

Steve Resch's vision for 110 E. Market is to entice Indiana University Southeast to establish a fine arts center downtown, with gallery space on the ground floor and classrooms on the second and third floors. He has spoken with officials at IU Southeast as well as local arts groups, and there is qualified optimism.

It's an idea worth pursuing, and we wish him luck in achieving it.

Every time boarded-up windows are revealed downtown, we inch closer ... to the starting line.

The building at 110 East Market formerly housing Ace Loan & Sporting Goods shows its windows. Who's next?