Thrive Floral Studio is overflowing with beautiful and fragrant flowers as Tammy Hayden and Amy Goforth work on arrangements for multiple weddings planned this weekend.
A few doors down Ashlee Thomas is getting ready to open her smoothie and tea shop, Fit Life Nutrition, located right next to the building’s lobby. As she’s preparing for her customers someone rents out the last available co-working space in the building for the day.
It’s no secret that the southern end of Clark County is booming and all three women agree, it’s not something they expected to see in this area.
One of Southern Indiana’s largest landlords, Cornerstone Group, manages Bolt + Tie and its neighboring property, Water Town Square, just across the city lines in Jeffersonville.
Cornerstone Group President Cory Hoehn grew up spending time in this area and is excited for all the development that’s coming to fruition at a time when some people are ditching office space in favor of working from home.
“There certainly are changing factors and there are changing demographics on what kind of office demand there is, but I think the flip side of that is people still want to be together,” Hoehn said. “So the future of work isn’t just work, it’s this mixed use, mixed income, mixed activity districts that bring people together for all kinds of different uses.”
That’s exactly what’s planned and being built in the south end of Clarksville. Bolt + Tie, 1400 Main St., is just the first property to open. More are in the works and being constructed currently.
“Southern Indiana has always been small business and service-oriented businesses and spaces for people to gather,” Hoehn said.
He commends the town of Clarksville for creating a vibrant, mixed-use community that provides more than just a traditional office park atmosphere. He said the streets in the area are designed to promote walking to get people out of their cars and into the community.
Cornerstone Group started working in the area of Bolt + Tie and Water Town Square in the early 90s, renovating and turning buildings in the area to meeting spaces.
At that point in time he said there was “no chance” he would’ve thought the area would turn into the mixed-use development that’s blossoming there now.
“We were on an island for a long time, there was nothing happening around us, so when we were first renovating buildings in the early 90s we did it for office warehouse space, we were assuming there would be a small office component and a warehouse in the back, that’s what the demand was here,” Hoehn said.
Then the demand in the area shifted, and people started more a neighborhood-style development. The pandemic helped accelerate the demand Hoehn said, but it was already there when Bolt + Tie was being dreamed up.
Now there’s 83 office suites at the property with tenants like counselors, hair salons, financial service firms and more.
“When we built that building, it was meant to be an entrepreneurial hub, a place where people could take a risk on a new idea, or they could get out of their kitchen, out of their dining room to create more of a professional environment for people to connect,” he said.
That’s what’s happening for Thomas at her smoothie shop. Her husband owns a barbershop in Bolt + Tie and they also operate two Air BnB’s in the building.
“It’s what this area has been needing, Southern Indiana hasn’t had anything like this prior,” Thomas said. “It used to be you had to go to Louisville for everything. This is a good thing for new millennials in the area, people like to get out, walk and shop. People love it.”
Hayden said the floral shop has been in the building for the past two years. Bolt + Tie opened in 2021.
“I like it because it’s an upcoming area,” she said. “And with the new construction I think the growth is going to be tremendous.”
There’s already been an increase in business at the shop due to foot traffic.
“The walk-in business since the construction has grown 30-to-40-percent,” Hayden said.
