Work is under way on refurbishing and repurposing a downtown Fruita building for a combination of retail and studio spaces.

Gavin Brooke and Alleghany Meadows expect to turn what was a health club and hardware store into the Fruita Arts Recreation Marketplace.

The FARM acronym also serves as a nod to the agricultural heritage of Fruita.

“The Grand Valley has a lot of creativity in solution that is looking for a place to precipitate,” Brooke said.

Fruita City Manager Mike Bennett said he’s eager for the completion of the renovations. “It’s exciting to see the vision, passion and attentiveness to Fruita’s community values the owners and developers of FARM have demonstrated,” Bennett said. “I look forward to seeing their vision come to fruition for the community to enjoy.”

Remodeling is scheduled for completion in August on the 13,000-square-foot building at 158 S. Park Square. Reservations are being accepted for space.

Five new street front retail spaces facing South Mulberry Street and South Park Square will range in size from 1,300 to 1,900-square feet. Each space will include glass walls, skylights and openings onto patios and pedestrian-friendly gathering areas.

Another portion of the building will house a total of 20 smaller spaces on two levels ranging in size from 100 to 600 square feet. The goal is to attract a variety of artists and other creative professionals as well as promote tenant interactions, art exhibits and other events.

The project already has attracted tenants, including Grand Jun Fermentation, a Grand Valley beverage producer that plans to move its production facility and open a tasting room. Momentum Mountain Biking expects to open a second location in the building, offering mountain bike skills instruction, camps and tours.

FARM is the second project for Brooke and Meadows, who also founded the Studio for Arts + Works in Carbondale. SAW houses 25 tenants, including artists, graphic designers, jewelers, sculptors and writers. The facility serves as a home for nationally recognized professionals as well as an incubator for aspiring artists. SAW also serves as a venue for a variety of community events.

Brooke joined with other collaborators and the Town of Carbondale to launch the Third Street Center, a multi-tenant, non-profit center in the rehabilitated Carbondale Elementary School.

Brooke brings to the ventures experience as an entrepreneurial designer and real estate developer. He founded the Land + Shelter architecture, planning and development practice and is involved in residential development in several resort markets in the West.

Meadows is a entrepreneur and studio potter from Carbondale. He exhibits his works nationally, is founder of the Artstream Nomadic Gallery and co-fonder of the Harvey/Meadows Gallery in Aspen.

For more information about the Fruita Arts Recreation Marketplace, contact Sarah Wood at (970) 462-7747 or hello@farmfruita.com.