STERLING, Ill. — It's the latest chapter in a long, storied history for a downtown Sterling building.
Local couple, Ashley and Ryan Nares, will now be leasing the first and second floors of the three-story Mercantile Building at 117 W. Third St. in Sterling.
The Nares plan to turn the building's historic ballroom and first floor into a wedding and event venue, while the second floor will become headquarters for their businesses, Nares Event Co. and 'Til Death Photo and Film.
The Mercantile Building was built back in 1877 and served as the home base for Fred Boese Floor Coverings for 61 years. It's been empty for about the last decade.
Then in March of 2013, the local nonprofit economic development group, Sterling Today Inc., bought the Mercantile Building. The hope was to turn it into a mixed-use retail and residential site, as reported by the Shaw Local News Network. When that didn't pan out, the building remained empty.
That is until the Nares showed interest.
Ashley, a 2007 Sterling High School grad, and Ryan, a 2005 grad, have big plans for their new space.
The premiere wedding and event space will be called The Mercantile Ballroom & Cocktail Lounge. The lounge has a standalone bar as well as a kitchen serving globally-inspired food Thursdays through Sundays.
Attendees will also notice a complete lack of slot machines and televisions in the space. That's intentional, as the Nares purposely tried to channel a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
The Nares joined The Current on News 8 to discuss staying local with their business, what they have planned for the lounge and what they hope this move does for the downtown Sterling area. You can watch their full interview in the above video.
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