Summer forecast: More art at the former feed store

Over the next few months, the former feed store on 2nd Avenue will continue its reimagined purpose as a home for art and culture in Niwot.

"At this time, the climate isn't good to start building any kind of development for that lot, so we decided to do a minimal fix up and get the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) involved and create something that would encourage people to come downtown," said John Fischer, who co-owns the building with his wife Xan. "Until the climate for redevelopment improves, we'll continue to let the NCAA and other organizations use it for an art space."

Fischer has been getting the store ready for visitors with some painting, interior improvements suitable for a gallery, some landscaping, and the removal of the barbed wire fence.

Now that it has been arranged as space for arts and culture, Fischer said he couldn't put a timeline on how long this use will continue. However, there's a promising sign that it would continue to be used this way for the near future: the Fischers are hiring a part time gallery director to help with all the coordination. "It will be very part-time," John Fischer said. "But we just want to get the word out that we're looking for someone."

He was also excited about The Boulder Open Studios Plein Air Festival which will be there from the beginning of June through the first week in July. After that, Fischer is working with other Boulder artists to bring in another art show, and then is trying to place a kid's music camp in the space to round out the summer. A repeat of the Christmas pop-up with Boulder Open Studios is also not out of the question for later this year.

Use of the space appears to be developing organically, which is, perhaps, part of its appeal. The fluid nature of the space was part of the project from the beginning, which happened to occur during a visit Fischer made to another 2nd Avenue spot, The Wheel House. "We didn't really have plans to buy it, but I was sitting there, at a table, and I heard someone else say, 'The feed store is going on the market tomorrow.' I asked my realtor, Keith Kanemoto, to put in an offer the next day. We had a contract within a day."

Fischer explained he considered keeping it as a feed store but ultimately, he connected with the NCAA and it found its current use. Part of what drove Fischer's decision was to be sure that the building, one of the more prominent ones in town, found a use that helped the community.

"I didn't want it sitting empty like the old Colterra space. That's just a shame," Fisher said. "And I didn't want it to be a place for food trucks, there's places here already. But, arts are great. It fits. And hopefully it will bring some people and economic activity into Niwot."