New artists space opens on east side

Artists are filling a new studio space on the east side of Bend that artist-entrepreneur Stuart Breidenstein envisions as part of a larger collective called Ninth Street Village.

Breidenstein, a jewelry maker who helped start The Workhouse on SE Scott Street, and the owners of DIYcave, a maker space on Ninth Street, have leased buildings on SE Armour Road with plans to market the area as an artist-and-maker collective open to the public.

Breidenstein and five other artists have moved into 909 SE Armour Road with plans to open to the public in March. Next door at 911 SE Armour, the owners of DIYcave are renovating the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker offices into co-working office space, individual artist studios and shared “co-making” space, also for artists.

In a parking lot and open area behind the Armour Road buildings, Breidenstein and the DIYcave owners plan to host mobile retail and food trucks. “It’s an extension of the community,” said DIYcave co-owner Aaron Leis.

The Armour Road buildings are adjacent to DIYcave at 400 SE Ninth St. Both properties are controlled by the Nase Company, a Bend family real estate company. Partner Steve Nase said he bought the Armour Road property from the diocese last year because it made sense to own adjacent properties. “It’s got upside,” Nase said. “It’s a big chunk of property.”

And Nase didn’t have to go looking for new tenants. “I talked to Aaron and the boys, and they wanted to rent the whole thing,” Nase said. “They have a great vision for what they wanted to do.”

The 2,600-square-foot building Breidenstein remodeled served at one time as an annex to the archdiocese offices. Taking over the space in January, he partitioned off seven work spaces, each one 12 feet by 8 feet, and has already rented most of them to artists.

Breidenstein said he’s most looking forward to using the area outside the studio’s back door. As an artist he’d like to branch into sculpture and making fire pits. He’s also counting on the Ninth Street Village concept to generate foot traffic for his own work and for the other artists.

It’s the same model that proved to be successful at The Old Ironworks Arts District at 50 SE Scott St., Breidenstein said. That’s where he had his own studio, Stuart’s of Bend, and was a partner in The Workhouse artists’ collective. With several artists in residence, The Old Ironworks became a destination for people interested in buying or making art, he said.

Breidenstein said he decided to leave The Old Ironworks late last year because of a spike in the rent for his studio. Armature, another collective in The Old Ironworks where 12 artists sublet space, closed in October after the property owner announced a rent increase.

Open studios aren’t a good fit for all artists, and two artists in search of privacy have already subleased studios at 911 SE Armour Road, Leis said.

“We aren’t even officially open for business, and we have people hammering down the door,” he said Monday, as he remodeled part of the building.

Leis said he and his two partners at DIYcave were looking to diversify so they could continue offering the maker space at affordable rates. DIYcave’s 3-D printers, wood, metal and welding shops are available to the public for monthly membership fees.

Leis said the Armour Road building, which doesn’t yet have a name, will offer co-working space for independent office workers, plus an open area for artists and makers. He said he hopes to have the building open by March.

—Reporter: 541-617-7860, kmclaughlin@bendbulletin.com

“We aren’t even officially open for business, and we have people hammering down the door.”— Aaron Leis, DIYcave co-owner