Entrepreneurs offered room to grow — rent-free

Two vacant spaces, one similar concept.

The developer of a new north downtown Omaha building and its neighbors dreamt up a concept: allow rent-free use of a 700-square-foot retail bay as a steppingstone for local entrepreneurs. A real estate broker serving on a neighborhood revitalization group liked the idea so much that he pitched a similar plan for a 2,000-square-foot retail space in Benson. Applications to occupy both poured in. Here's a look at the first tenants.

Empty Room

Where: 13th and Webster Streets in 22 Floors, a new building of apartments and retail space east of Film Streams (located on the building's north, or parking lot, side)

Winning project: Beastbox, an interactive art gallery and retail space

Who: Amy Morin, 28, and Rob Quinn, 29, both of Omaha

The skinny: Morin uses her degree in textile and apparel design at her full-time job designing inflatable mascots, and Quinn is an artist assistant to renowned ceramist Jun Kaneko. The couple share Studio 222 at Hot Shops, where she makes plaid caterpillars, monsters and other fabric art, and he makes bronze sculptures, paintings and ceramics. Quinn said he applied because he wanted to expose his art to a more public setting; Morin so visitors could interact with their art. “It's a big motivator when people come into your space and are really excited about what you're doing,” Morin said. “It just makes you want to build more and more and more.”

What you'll find: Toadstools with wooden stumps and teal velveteen or red tweed tops; a 4-foot round monster made from a yoga ball covered in dyed aqua terry cloth; a bronze sculpture of a distorted Pinocchio; an acrylic and oil painting called “Moon Man.” They named the project Beastbox because much of their work focuses on animals, monsters and other creatures.

Prices: $5 to $1,600

Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, through June 28.

Why Beastbox?: John Henry Muller, an owner of graphic design firm What Cheer, which along with Secret Penguin and Bluestone Development created the Empty Room concept, said Beastbox was selected out of more than 100 applicants because it epitomized creativity. “It goes so much further than typical artwork.”

What happens next?: A new tenant takes over every month through November, at which time Bluestone will move its offices from 15th and Jones Streets into the space, said Bluestone's Christian Christensen. Many of Bluestone's future projects are geared toward Generation Y, so Christensen wanted his offices in the smaller spaces it is promoting. Empty Room has tenants through October; it is accepting applications for November. For Morin and Quinn: “We'll deflate the yoga balls and go back to Hot Shops.”

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Empty Room tenants

July: 300 Square — architects James Leach and Kris Nelson will build a 300-square-foot apartment inside the 700-sqare-foot space to demonstrate the living-small concept.

August: Clean Plate — raw foodist Elle Lien will operate a raw food restaurant. (See story in Saturday's Living section.)

September: art collaborative — Mary Wees will work out of the space, adding a new artist daily.

October: Photos and String — photographer Jeff Hug hosts an interactive exhibit in which each visitor brings a photo of himself and connects a piece of string to photos of people they know, making the room a visualization of the connectivity of Omaha.

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Benson Free Space

Where: 6007 Maple St.

Winning project: Wislanscraft

Who: Sally Lansdale, 57, of Omaha

The skinny: In 2003, Lansdale got hooked on painting and decoupaging old furniture that she buys at garage and estate sales. A self-described artisan and craftsperson, Lansdale sells her creations online and at craft fairs. But she decided to apply for the free space to try another venue — a storefront. The short-term, risk-free opportunity was just what she needed, she said. She applied immediately, knowing that if she waited to discuss it with her husband she'd “chicken out.”
What you'll find: Pullman stools covered in stenciled grapevines or flowers; a bar stool with bright yellow legs and a seat painted with a nouveau cat; white switch plates painted with powder-blue bugs.

Prices: $5 to $300

Hours: Opens for the first time at 8 a.m. Saturday to about 6 p.m.; regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, through June 30.

Why Wislanscraft? Jay Lund, a member of the Benson-Ames Alliance Steering Council, said Lansdale was selected out of more than 20 submissions because her business had the potential to be a longer-term tenant and because it fit the artistic feel of Maple Street in Benson.

What happens next? The best scenario, Lund said, would be if Lansdale decided to stay. “Ultimately, we're trying to find businesses that want to locate in Benson.” If that doesn't happen, the landlord possibly could offer it to another tenant rent-free for another 30 days.

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