The oldest building in Many got a major facelift and it’s now the pride of San Antonio Avenue and the Many Cultural District.
The OTASCO brick building at the corner of San Antonio and Capitol Street is looking good, with new awnings, new wood braces with wrought iron scrollwork, all rotten wood replaced on the store front, some new windows, a fresh paint job, and decals on the windows depicting hardware carried by the store, and appliance repair.
Larry Campbell’s father owned and managed the store for many years, with Larry taking over the business after his dad’s passing.
Campbell contacted Contractor Ellis Rains to repair and renovate the OTASCO store, and work began last summer. It’s been a time-consuming job but it’s almost completed just in time for the holidays.
The chairperson of the Many Cultural District Advisory Committee, Mary Brocato, who is also alderwoman at large for the town, worked closely with Campbell and Rains to ensure that the end results were everything they wanted when the restoration was complete
Rains said he wanted the restoration to be of the highest quality and it took time to work everything out. Campbell is thrilled about the results and said he knows everyone in town will be happy about the long-awaited renovation.
Brocato stressed that not one penny of city money was spent on the renovation. The total renovation was made possible by several generous financial donors in town and also by several locally owned businesses that kindly donated building items to make the new look for OTASCO possible. Interstate Building Supply donated the paint and other much needed supplies. Glass Technology donated and replaced broken glass in the front of the store. The Sky’s the Limit donated the old fashioned looking decals now on the store windows. Ed’s Sheet Metal donated a vent for flashing through the roof.
What was originally planned was just the replacement of the old awnings above store. However, it swiftly turned into an all-encompassing renovation of the entire store front. Rains and his workers worked for weeks that turned into months due to weather conditions and other factors. They returned a few weeks ago to complete the job, and the end results are everything that Campbell and Rains had hoped for.
Brocato commented that “This was a labor of love and respect for a historic old building. It does take a village sometimes, and thanks to Campbell, Rains, and the good people of our village of Many, the OTASCO store is now enjoying a new life.”
“We just have one more thing to complete,” Brocato said. “I’m looking for a generous donor to tint the store’s front windows, and then we’ll be done. If someone wants to donate their talent and time to tint the windows, or donate the funds so we can have it done, please call me at 318- 617-5239, so we can get this last task done,” she asked.
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