By Melissa Wagoner
In 2020, massage therapist Shamila Salem wanted to open a new studio and so she approached her dad – real estate developer, Mohsen (Mo) Salem, asking if he knew of an available space. He did, but it was a little more than she bargained for.
“He just loves restoring old buildings,” Shamila said, recalling her dad’s suggestion that, rather than simply moving into an already established space, Shamila should work with him to restore a previously uninhabited portion of the Hartman Building and the connected deck along the creek.
Up for the challenge, Shamila said yes. In August 2020 the father-daughter team began renovations that would take the next three years to complete.
“We wanted to keep the industrialness,” Shamila said, referring to the difficulty in maintaining the building’s historical integrity as the home to the Hubbs Planing Mill, built in 1924, while at the same time making the space usable after several decades of neglect.
“It’s been nothing for 30 plus years,” Shamila said, adding that, while her dad has owned the building for the past 15 years, it was utilized for little more than storage or hosting of the occasional catered event by the former Creekside Grill.
Relatively barebones on both the inside and the outside, the space needed a lot of work, including an increase to the decking and floor height to ward off flooding.
“And I had to get used to the big beams,” Shamila said, referencing the row of large, cement supports spanning the length of the indoor space. “They had to grow on me, and I just had to accept that it’s a quirky space.”
She also had to decide what the space should be used for.
“I thought of doing a lot of things,” Shamila confirmed, “a spa, a restaurant – but I landed on an event space.”
Offering both the large indoor room as well as the two adjoining decks – with a combined capacity of around 80 people – Shamila has begun renting the space for birthday parties, baby showers, small weddings and everything in between. But she also has plans of her own.
“It would be fun to do a once-a-month open mic night,” Shamila said, “or to listen to music.”
Open for public perusal for the first time Oct. 6, Shamila said the response she got was overwhelmingly positive.
“I heard everyone’s thoughts,” she laughed. “But one of my favorites was an art gallery.”
While Shamila isn’t planning to turn the space into a permanent exhibition, she does hope to explore some pop-up art exhibitions.
“I’ve been keeping everything plain so that other people’s aesthetic can take over,” she said. “Because I imagine a lot of different people down here and a lot of different [events].”
Emerald Events Silverton, LLC
204 S. Water St., Silverton
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