The first new building to be constructed downtown Mancos in 100 years is officially open.
It’s two stories and part workshop, part retail and part workforce housing, and it’s called the Mancos Commons.
Built at 135 W. Grand Ave., it stands on a lot adjacent to the historic Mancos Times-Tribune building, which was renovated a few years ago.
A little walkway connects them, but the buildings are not attached to one another, said Tami Graham, the president of the Mancos Common Press Board of Directors.
“We had to be really thoughtful with the design of the new building,” said Graham. “We really tried to integrate as best we could so it would tie in with the rest of the downtown block of buildings.”
To celebrate the grand opening on Saturday July 27, there was a pop-up event from 2 to 7 p.m.
An eight-piece, all-women brass band played in the courtyard as people stopped to listen, flowing in and out of the new space while artists sold their work, said Jody Chapel, the shop’s manager.
“We had 11 print vendors inside the new Commons. Some were professional artists in the area, some were artist members who do printing,” Chapel said.
One of the vendors came from Arizona.
“That is exciting for us, because one of our goals is to become a real print center in the region,” said Chapel. “There’s print centers in urban areas and Santa Fe and Silver City, but there’s none really in this area.”
The renovation of the original Times-Tribune building opened the door for classes like Letterpress 101, where people can learn how to use the presses. But they knew, eventually, they’d need more space.
“We could only fit six or seven participants for any given workshop,” said Graham. “We were really limited. … We always had our eye on the adjacent lot.”
The Mancos Common Press nonprofit raised enough money locally, and coupled with the help of grants and state money, it purchased the additional land to expand.
“And so began the thoughts to build on it and create a vibrant center for printing arts that are, in many places, being lost,” Chapel said.
In addition to offering space for printing arts, the new building has three workforce housing units upstairs. Workforce housing is for folks who make between $50,700 and $73,080 a year.
“If we if we included some housing units, (we thought) it could really help Mancos and the housing crunch and provide a really nice example of a mixed-use building right in the heart of downtown Mancos,” Graham said.
The units have been occupied since May, chosen via lottery system with special consideration to folks who want to live in Mancos and work in the county.
“Right now, in the three units, we have an ambulance driver, a schoolteacher in Mancos, and an employee of Mesa Verde National Park,” Graham said.
The Mancos Creative District is also excited about the new space and working with the Mancos Common Press.
“It’s funny because when I think of a district, and maybe you do too, I think of an office and bureaucracy and stuff like that,” said Mark Stevens, who’s on the Creative District’s board. “Well, we are basically one desk. Our executive director has a desk, renting office space from Mancos Commons.”
Thus, the new building provides space for artists and community members alike.
“There’s just so many opportunities with this bright, beautiful space to continue to add to Mancos becoming known as a creative hub. I think there’s a real opportunity for the two organizations – the Creative District and the Mancos Commons – to work together as partners to enliven the arts,” Stevens said.
Something they can’t do without space.
The Commons already had its first workshop. Ten people attended the monotype class taught by a printer from New Mexico.
“People were able to have workspaces dedicated to themselves,” said Chapel. “That was something that we just really couldn’t do before, is have that many people and have tables for people to work on.”
A Cyanotype 101 workshop is coming up on Aug. 17. It’s $125 and is an alternative printing method, using the sun instead of a press to make impressions, Chapel said.
When the holidays come around, they host a card making class. They also do one for Valentine’s Day as well as a wild card class, which covers the basics of how to type set one letter at a time.
“Just come get a taste of it and see if you like it,” said Chapel. “A lot of times those people will go on to take a 101 class and hopefully become an artist member.”
Unless you come from a printing background, a 101 class is required to become an artist member, which costs $60 a month.
As a member, you can rent out a press to do work on. You’re also able to sell prints in the shop.
“For some of them, they have no other place to sell their work,” said Chapel. “Prints sell pretty well. It’s something people like to buy- it’s not real expensive like a painting or something.”
Looking ahead, the folks involved are enthused for what the new space offers.
“The Mancos Common Press is a pillar of our broader arts community and the whole area – the Mancos Valley – and they draw people from all over the country to come to their facility and teach or take classes. It’s sort of nationally known in that arena of printing presses.”
