TOLEDO, Ohio — It has been four years since commercial real estate agent Stephanie Pilgrim purchased the then-vacant building on 710 Monroe St. in Toledo.
Fast-forward to today, and the building is soon to be open to the public with three different small businesses.
"We were on the search for a couple of years, and landed on this building, which we thought was in a fabulous location and really could be turned around," Pilgrim said.
710 Monroe St. was built in the late 1800s with three stories and approximately 20,000 square feet.
Over the last four years, Pilgrim has invested nearly $3 million into it. She has also received help from the city of Toledo.
"They were instrumental in getting this project to where it is today," Pilgrim said.
The city gave her $75,000 through the Vibrancy Initiative, a collection of programs designed to support revitalization efforts for vacant, blighted buildings across Toledo
In the case of 710 Monroe St., Pilgrim received money from the initiative's White Box and Facade programs, which went towards HVAC, plumbing and lighting work inside the building.
"The White Box program is part of the city's vibrancy initiative, which is a collection of programs that were launched in 2021 in order to incentivize catalytic redevelopment projects throughout our community," said Cody Brown. acting manager of development for the city of Toledo.
Pilgrim's is part of a current list of 62 different projects across the city done since 2021, with the projects receiving a total private sector investment of over $80 million.
But to be eligible for a grant through these programs, the city says you need to help revitalize.
"The building can be located anywhere throughout the city, but it does need to be a commercial, industrial, or a mixed-use commercial, or an upstairs residential building in order to be eligible for the program," Brown said.
Each floor inside Pilgrim's building will have its own unique offering. The first floor will feature a restaurant named "Tonic," followed by a second-floor event space named "The Mez" and a third-floor cocktail bar named "Magnolia."
The building also has a basement space that is currently available for a tenant.
Throughout the spaces, Pilgrim says her goal is to find a balance between keeping it historical while adding a modern touch.
"We've got original hardwood flooring and some original doors that are staying in place and things like that, and then the rest will be high-end, beautiful lights and decor and all that," she said. "We're hoping to meet that balance somewhere in the middle."
710 Monroe St. was a vision Pilgrim never lost sight of, and now, it's something she says people want.
"It didn't take long for us to fill it up and I think that's a sign of people believing in downtown and people believing in bringing new business here," she said.