June 20, 2024

New places for clothing, a shop for dog owners and a new shared pace for a popular plant business are among recent additions at the Jones421 Building.

The downtown mixed-use building has a first-floor marketplace at 421 N. Phillips Ave. that regularly transitions tenants and has a fairly new set of them for summer.

1st GenHQ opened recently in the former Interiors Etc. space and offers urban streetwear and custom and vintage clothing.

“It’s been incredible watching the growth in the building,” 1st Gen HQ owner James Landon said. “There are new businesses, and I think this building is in a great turnaround phase.”

The store holds a monthly art event called Art Maneuver, “a monthly kickback for creatives and companions.”

“We move out all the clothes, and artists come sell their work here during Art Maneuver nights,” Landon said.

The next one is July 18. Landon also is adding a summer event called Artrepreneurs, designed to teach kids how to make clothes in-house and learn about business and other art-related projects.

“We want to teach kids to use their creativity to make things that they could potentially build a business off of at a young age, rather than struggling and maybe not having a good outlet,” Landon said. “We want to steer kids away from doing things that aren’t good for them.”

This year, 1st Gen HQ plans to offer Artrepreneurs to kids age 7 to 14. It will run for two weeks in July on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

“We want to help older kids too. Sometimes they don’t have those resources, and maybe if they did, they would stay off the streets and not be doing things they shouldn’t be doing,” Landon said, adding he’s still determining a fee to make it accessible to kids.

1st Gen HQ’s hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The business also soon will have a new neighbor offering clothing of a similar sort along with a barbershop.

Hunnid Stylez, which combines clothing with a barbershop, is under construction and planning to open in the former Intoxibakes space.

Both new businesses have “a very young vibe,” said Sheila Hazard, building co-owner and property manager. “I think having two different types of clothing that are kind of the same genre or age group will do a nice draw down here.”

Across the hall from 1st Gen HQ, The Tail That Got Away has opened, specializing in a curated selection of “all things dog.”

Owner Nikole Edberg is a dog groomer by trade and has another business, The Pawground, offering mobile grooming. The boutique is a new retail experience for her with the vision of bringing a dog-centered business to Jones421.

“I wanted to bring a store downtown for dog lovers,” Edberg said. “There is nothing down here for dogs. I think it’s much needed.”

Edberg said her personal style will help set the shop apart from other pet boutiques.

“I think what sets every boutique apart is the owners; everybody has their style,” she said. “So bringing my style into all my products will just give it that different vibe than other local stores.”

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The business is in the space off the north entrance to the building that used to be The Deku Tree. The plant business now is located within 605 Florista, which is owned by Ariana Johnson, and is at the south entrance.

605 Florista offers wedding flowers, everyday florals, private floral classes and private event consultations.

The addition of the Deku collection offers another layer of uncommon plants to bring joy, Johnson said.

Other newer additions in the building include North End Bakery & Deli, which is owned by Conner McMahan. He has years of experience in the culinary world and said the new space is opening up more avenues for him to hone his skills.

“I’m happy with the location, and being right next to The Source is great,” McMahan said. “They have a great following and have been really supportive of us. I love the level of collaboration and how we all get to support everyone in the building.”

North End Bakery & Deli is sticking to its six-steady menu options and running an all-day Sunday brunch special.

McMahan said he is working on ideas for lunch-special sandwiches and new sandwich options, and is also making progress toward offering pickled items for sale. The sandwiches are made on bread that McMahan bakes on-site and also sells.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Across the building, Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen remains under construction after being heavily damaged when glycol leaked into the space from HVAC work being done above it in the building, which includes condominiums.

“I’ve been meeting with them, so I know there’s progress going on, but it’s slow,” Hazard said.

It’s possible the bar area could become available for lease, which is 1,155 square feet, she said.

Otherwise, there’s only one open spot in the building — a 520-square-foot space that most recently was a small gallery.