CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The wool factory made sure to keep the bones of the historic mill while renovating their space. Their renovation earned them a feature in the New York Times as an example of a successfully renovated mill.
“One thing we have is space, there’s a ton of space inside. These old mill buildings are massive and very open on the inside. It’s something that we wanted to leverage here,” Dan FitzHenry, the COO of The Wool Factory, said.
Their feature piece focused on the flexible design space.
“We were looking at the space along this courtyard here as space for our coffee roastery, but quickly learned we wanted it to be public facing because it’s so beautiful,” said FitzHenry.
They split the space into three parts; Selvedge – a brewing company, Broadcloth – a restaurant, and The Workshop, a store that sells wine, coffee, and merch.
Fitzhenry said it was extremely validating to have their team’s work highlighted by the New York Times, especially launching during a pandemic.
“We figured out pretty quickly it was a space people wanted to come, because we can be so spaced out and still have a good amount of people and we have this wonderful courtyard out here where people can sit and gather as well,” said FitzHenry.
No matter what part of the building you’re in you’re guaranteed a unique view.
“The windows along the creek, you’re in this industrial setting but also in the middle of the woods at the same time and it’s a very unique setting and experience,” said FitzHenry.
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