A milestone achieved this day, the 9th of April, the year 2010. Certificate of occupancy granted this afternoon….the final inspection. From here out, it’s all about us getting things packed up and moved in. Hoorah.

Blue Ion Office Model

After several years of searching and moving, we’ve found a permanent home. Earlier this week we closed on the upper half of 301 King Street in downtown Charleston. Right smack in the middle of all things we love about downtown, and right smack on top of the Apple Store. That’s like an 8-year-old living on top of an all-in-one hobby shop, candy store and ice cream parlor.

As many of you know, 301 King was recently home to Cumberlands, a great spot to see bands and the many friends who worked and played on stage. Alas, time ran out for Cumberlands. We heard about the possibility of Apple moving in, much to our glee considering their overwhelming awesomeness and the affection we have for their products. In many ways, it’s a perfect combo, as our primary goal for our permanent home wasn’t just have a nice space to do our work, but instead to set up a center for creativity, fun, and better work life.

We are starting construction which will likely take a few months. To document the process and allow others to follow along, we’ve set up the 301 Blog. Look for ongoing posts with information, photos, video, design plans, and progress updates of the space being built.

The following (and above) are some shots of the conceptual model for the space. The office will be larger than the small model, but still made entirely out of recycled cardboard and popsicle sticks.

Aerial View

Interior Front

Interior Back

We like to think that interactive development has many parallels with the architecture and building trades. The discovery process, experiential design, project management, collaborative teamwork, and more. But nothing we do on a daily basis prepared us for the adventure of finding and locking down a permanent home. The design and construction are cake and cookies by comparison.

It took over 3 years to find the right space. While we hopped from temporary home to temporary home, we searched for a downtown space that offered an open floorplate, proximity to all the things we like (bars and restaurants, mainly), a live-work possibility, and of course a fair price.

We literally looked at everything. In every corner of the city. Properties on the market, and properties off. We’re a bit picky, so it was like finding the preverbal needle in the haystack.

Adding to challenge was the fact that during this time period most rough/undeveloped loft space was being courted by developers looking to build more high-end condos. They pushed the market and prices into orbit…until it all came crashing down. From their chaos came our opportunity.

Once we found the right space, we then had to endure a year’s worth of discussion, negotiation and delay until we could get formally hitched. So many hurdles to jump along the way that come from those on the periphery of the transaction…not the actual seller/buyer. But thanks to the efforts of many we prevailed and closed earlier this past Wednesday.

I guess as we look back on the process the search and closing effort really isn’t that different from our daily reality either…..it just takes a lot longer. Sometimes we get to endure a long search process and lots of negotiation. But it never seems to last more than a few weeks…..as compared to a few years. We now have even more respect and admiration for our friends in the architecture and development world.