Core Goods, a market located at 2 East 1st Street in Oil City, opened their new Community Space at the end of September.
The business’ goal with the Community Space is to bring people together, especially around local food. They will host their own events and classes and also open it up to the community to rent for private events and parties.
The space is located in the previous Raymond James office on East First Street and connected to the store. It has been under renovation for the last few months. Ashley and her husband Zack, along with many local businesses and volunteers, made several upgrades–replacing flooring and ceiling tiles, exposing a brick wall, painting, and building a barn door between the space and the store.
Renovations were made possible from a $10,000 Backing Small Businesses grant, through a program of American Express and Main Street America.
Local artist Marcy Hall created art for the walls, Pollen Nation in Franklin provided plants (which are available for sale), and furniture was found at both the Oil City Warehouse Mall and State Street Furniture.
Many other local businesses helped the space come together–Ice Cleaning and Painting, Clifford’s Carpets, Emko Technologies, Svetz Consulting Services LLC, Pioneer Electric, Rock Steady Home Repair, and more.
When the store is open and events aren’t taking place, people are welcome to use the space, whether they grab a snack or drink from the store and sit, visit with a friend, or work on a laptop. The space features free wi-fi, a public restroom, the Derrick newspaper, and an area with community flyers, cookbooks, and a seed exchange. Core Goods also has drip coffee for sale, made with the house blend from Woods & River Coffee.
The first class scheduled is a Sourdough Starter Workshop on November 17. A Holiday Vendor Pop-Up will also take place on December 7, featuring local artisans throughout the space. Many additional events and classes will be added to the calendar soon.
“The space has come together better than we could have imagined and we’re so thankful for the funding and all the community members and businesses who helped make it happen,” said Ashley Sheffer, owner of Core Goods. “We look forward to the many gatherings bringing people together here.”
Learn more about the space and upcoming events at Core Goods at core-goods.com/community-space, or find them on social media.
This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s November 2024 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.