by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Some books you can read in a couple of evenings or over a rainy weekend. Some books take a couple of weeks to complete and sometimes, you tackle a tome that takes longer to finish than you ever thought it would.
Over the past year-and-a-half, Ron Chamblin, owner of Chamblin’s Bookmine on Roosevelt Boulevard and Chamblin’s Uptown on Laura Street near Hemming Plaza, has learned renovating a building can be a lot like reading a book.
He bought the two-story, 10,000 square-foot structure in January 2006 and immediately began designing, demolishing and improving. His original plan was to be open and selling rare and used books (including Chamblin’s famous “non-existent” books) by last June, but the project has taken longer than he expected.
“I’m not disappointed. I feel lucky to get this building because there aren’t very many like it left Downtown,” said Chamblin. “It’s taking a long time to renovate because it’s a complex process. First we had to complete the design and the engineering drawings. Then we removed 14 trash containers of debris. We’ve had to replace the plumbing and the electrical system and the sprinkler system and install air conditioning. Lots of details have to be addressed.
“Then there has been a parade of subcontractors. Sometimes what you think will take a couple of days ends up taking a couple of weeks. It was optimistic to think we could be open last year.”
Project Superintendent Bob Wilmoth has been working on the building since last November. He said some days have seemed more like archaeology than construction.
“I know we dug through at least four major previous renovations. We know there used to be a jewelry store here and a book store. It looked like there may have been three different businesses in the building at some point in history. Another aspect of the project is that when they built this structure in 1904, they had no concept of what building codes and safety requirements would be like in 100 years and they had no clue there would ever be something called the ‘Americans with Disabilities Act’. The ADA covers everything from the slope of the ramp in front of the building to the new restrooms to the hydraulic elevator we installed.”
Chamblin said possibly the most timely element of the project has been his experience with the City. The construction permits were issued soon after the drawings were complete and the inspectors have all been helpful and understanding.
“We inherited quite a few things when we closed on the building. There were a few code discrepancies like the plywood sheathing that used to be on the front of the building. The City issued a citation for that two years before we took possession of the property. The inspector actually went to bat for us at the hearing and explained we were demolishing the inside first and we were pushing as fast as we could so the plywood needed to remain in place until the interior work was further along.
“We also had an issue with the Fire Marshal. La Cena restaurant is next door and their freezer extended about a foot onto my property. It made the fire escape in the alley a little too narrow but the City worked with us on that, too,” he said.
When asked if his real estate investment on Laura Street has made Chamblin vow to think twice – or even three times – before ever tackling a project like this again, he was quick to answer in the negative.
“Actually, I’ve bought another building. It’s a vintage 1920s structure on the Westside and I’m going to renovate it and use it for processing on-line orders and for staging books for both stores. The new building will also allow me to move some inventory out of storage at the Roosevelt Boulevard location so I can make more retail space.”
Chamblin said the Downtown project is now far enough along he’s confident he’ll be selling books and coffee by Labor Day if not sooner.