Amber Kerrigan, an artist who rents a studio from Zero Empty Spaces in Stony Point Fashion Park. (Jack Jacobs photos)
A Florida-based chain of art studios is looking to splash a little color onto Stony Point Fashion Park.
Zero Empty Spaces, which leases storefronts and then carves out within them multiple small rentable art studios, opened last month at the South Richmond mall.
The company pitches itself as a means to fill vacant storefronts and bring foot traffic to commercial centers. The artists use their studios both as workstations as well as venues to sell their works. Zero Empty Spaces is also open to the public.
There were three artists renting space as of last week in the Stony Point location, Zero Empty Spaces co-founder Andrew Martineau said in an email. He said there’s enough room for 11 artists in the 2,800-square-foot storefront.
The artists have 24-hour access to their studios, and pay $2.50 per square foot per month. Artists are required to work in the space at least two days a week 12-5 p.m.
Among those first subtenants in the local Zero Empty Spaces is Amber Kerrigan. She hopes to take advantage of the built-in audience of shoppers at the mall to get her abstract acrylic paintings in front of more people.
“I have a home studio and I still have it in my apartment. I’ve been doing that for a few years and I had put some painting stuff on the backburner for a bit. I wanted to get back into it and be more out there and more promoting of my art,” Kerrigan said. “I thought something like this would be a great opportunity for that.”
Zero Empty Spaces is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company was founded in 2019 and has eight locations currently open, mostly in Florida. The Stony Point outpost is the company’s only location in the Old Dominion.
It occupies the space that was formerly home to Build-A-Bear Workshop. The storefront is near the mall’s Anthropologie store and is next to the Stony Point pop-jet fountain.
Zero Empty Spaces occupies suite 144 at Stony Point Fashion Park, which was formerly home to a Build-A-Bear Workshop.
The artist studios chain is one of several newcomers to Stony Point that have recently opened or are planning to do so.
Big Bear Coin & Collectible opened in June in a space across from Zero Empty Spaces. Also nearby is restaurant Lyra’s Natural Kitchen, which is preparing to open. Women’s fashion store Travian Vann opened at the mall earlier this year.
These new users come onto Stony Point’s scene as the mall pursues a special ABC permit that would allow mall patrons to drink alcoholic beverages purchased from Stony Point tenants in the mall’s public spaces.
Amber Kerrigan, an artist who rents a studio from Zero Empty Spaces in Stony Point Fashion Park. (Jack Jacobs photos)
A Florida-based chain of art studios is looking to splash a little color onto Stony Point Fashion Park.
Zero Empty Spaces, which leases storefronts and then carves out within them multiple small rentable art studios, opened last month at the South Richmond mall.
The company pitches itself as a means to fill vacant storefronts and bring foot traffic to commercial centers. The artists use their studios both as workstations as well as venues to sell their works. Zero Empty Spaces is also open to the public.
There were three artists renting space as of last week in the Stony Point location, Zero Empty Spaces co-founder Andrew Martineau said in an email. He said there’s enough room for 11 artists in the 2,800-square-foot storefront.
The artists have 24-hour access to their studios, and pay $2.50 per square foot per month. Artists are required to work in the space at least two days a week 12-5 p.m.
Among those first subtenants in the local Zero Empty Spaces is Amber Kerrigan. She hopes to take advantage of the built-in audience of shoppers at the mall to get her abstract acrylic paintings in front of more people.
“I have a home studio and I still have it in my apartment. I’ve been doing that for a few years and I had put some painting stuff on the backburner for a bit. I wanted to get back into it and be more out there and more promoting of my art,” Kerrigan said. “I thought something like this would be a great opportunity for that.”
Zero Empty Spaces is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company was founded in 2019 and has eight locations currently open, mostly in Florida. The Stony Point outpost is the company’s only location in the Old Dominion.
It occupies the space that was formerly home to Build-A-Bear Workshop. The storefront is near the mall’s Anthropologie store and is next to the Stony Point pop-jet fountain.
Zero Empty Spaces occupies suite 144 at Stony Point Fashion Park, which was formerly home to a Build-A-Bear Workshop.
The artist studios chain is one of several newcomers to Stony Point that have recently opened or are planning to do so.
Big Bear Coin & Collectible opened in June in a space across from Zero Empty Spaces. Also nearby is restaurant Lyra’s Natural Kitchen, which is preparing to open. Women’s fashion store Travian Vann opened at the mall earlier this year.
These new users come onto Stony Point’s scene as the mall pursues a special ABC permit that would allow mall patrons to drink alcoholic beverages purchased from Stony Point tenants in the mall’s public spaces.
In my opinion this is another short-term use of space at Stony Point. What’s needed is a redevelopment more in line with Regency Square. If one of the anchor restaurants leaves the final chapter will be written.
If you visit the mall, you can easily observe the lack of foot traffic.
Great Piece! Rising Tides Raise All Ships! Looking Forward To Making A Bigger Impact In Richmond!