After almost a decade, life is finally coming back to the storefronts of 13, 15 & 17 South Trade St., Tryon. The renovations to the three retail spaces of the Missildine’s building and its two sister buildings are nearing completion. The new tenants will take possession next week and start working toward their grand openings so this is the last chance to see the spaces before they move in.

“There’s a small window of opportunity that opened up, actually just a couple of hours, so we thought we’d offer a sneak peek as a fundraiser for our neighbors, Upstairs Artspace,” said Gayle Lane.

The three finished retail spaces as well as the progress on the three residential apartments will be open for viewing. The new tenants and members of the design and construction team will be on hand to answer questions. Music and some light refreshments will also be provided.

Craftsmen are rushing to finish the final details for the ground floor spaces. If you stopped by in the last couple of days you saw lights being hung, the final coats of paint going onto the walls, windows getting their first wash, floors finished and custom iron railings being installed.

“We hope people will be happy with the final results. We kept as much historic fabric as possible,” said Scott Lane. “For example, we decided to leave the ceiling tiles and terrazzo floors in the Missildine’s unfinished so that their history speaks for itself. But, in other places where we couldn’t save the old ones, we put in new oak floors to evoke the old ones. In a couple of years they’ll develop their own patina and look like they’ve always been there.”

Lane is the president of the Upstairs Artspace board and he and wife Gayle decided that the few-hour-window of opportunity to show off the finished work before occupancy offered an opportunity to help support the town’s non-profit contemporary art gallery, a unique organization in the community that relies on donations from the community and grants from organizations such as the Polk County Community Foundation to showcase and educate about contemporary arts and crafts.

The couple opened the buildings two years ago for a huge community open house prior to renovation beginning, also to benefit the Upstairs.

“Just about everyone in town showed up then,” says Lane, “and we’re hoping they will come again to see what we’ve done.”

The event will run from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30. There is a charge for this event. Reservations can be made at the gallery or through Eventbrite online.

“This is a wonderful thing they are doing for the Upstairs, and for Tryon as a whole,” said Michele Deudne, executive director for the gallery. “They are breathing new life into the downtown with these beautiful spaces and also finding time to help the arts. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see the inside!”

-Submitted by Clare O’Sheel