Enid martial arts school gets a makeover with Main Street facade grant
Apr. 29—For the last year, the owner of a local martial arts studio has been giving the facade of his downtown building a makeover.
Family Martial Arts owner Alex Evers recently finished renovating the facade of his studio's building at 211 E. Broadway with help from a $10,000 grant from Main Street Enid.
Matching funds also came from Enid Regional Development Alliance and Edward Jones, so overall renovation cost $20,000, which Evers was later reimbursed.
Evers received the initial facade grant funding a year ago from Main Street, which had been donated private funds from its history makers program. He then started collecting quotes and bids from contractors.
But shortly after, Enid's COVID-19 pandemic declarations forced the studio, technically a "gym," to temporarily close its doors, so revamping the outside of the building wasn't Evers' or his staff's first priority ahead of keeping up with rent and utilities.
After the Main Street Enid board of directors pushed back Evers' project completion deadline several months, he again sought out contractors and consultants to maintain the red-brick building's historical accuracy.
Beasley & Beasley Paint & Design Team in Enid painted over the partially white facade, while nearby Oklahoma Glass and Wallpaper Co. replaced broken window panes rather than restore the original wood-panel windows. Oklahoma Main Street Center's architect, Josh Kunkel, also gave Evers guidance on downtown facade integrity.
"It's so worth the value that once we got it, I was like, I gotta figure out how to make this work," Evers said of the grant. "It was too good to pass up."
Main Street Enid offers two facade renovation reimbursement grants: an ongoing and a competitive.
One competitive grant is awarded per year up to $10,000. Gaslight Theatre is next in line to receive $10,000 in August for its Turpin Theater facade renovation, according to Main Street.
"Evers sets an example for the district by following the Main Street approach to restore his building's historical features, while improving the downtown district," Main Street Enid Executive Director Natalie Beurlot said.
Evers said he decided Family Martial Arts' outside should "look the part" of a community leader in downtown Enid.
Since Enid's school opened in 2018 — the first school is in Stillwater — he and his staff have held First Friday activities downtown, self-defense classes at the library and speaking events at Autry Technology Center.
When he bought the building a year later, Evers said it was in "pretty rough shape" — the front windows were broken, there weren't any outside lights, and the building just looked run-down.
But he said looking at the facade's before and after photos was like "night and day."
"I really enjoy downtown. I want to make it nicer," Evers said. "Now the building isn't an eyesore, so it should help other businesses."
Ewald is copy editor and city/education reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.
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