09 . 23 . 18

Sanctuary in Paducah, Kentucky!

Posted in Blog, Paducah

Rayela Art > Blog > Blog > Sanctuary in Paducah, Kentucky!

UPDATE:  THIS HOUSE DID NOT WORK OUT.  IT WAS BUILT ON A SLAB THAT WAS CRACKED AND THE FLOOR FLOODED WHENEVER THERE WAS A DOWNPOUR.  I loved being there and am keeping the post just as a memory….   This is where I live now and it is perfect!!

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After one year of searching, I finally found a place which will be my sanctuary here in Paducah. It is not in UpperTown, where I wanted to focus on the Green Roof Culture Project (see past posts) as I could not find something that was livable and that fit my budget. I am tired and have to get out of the house that I have lived in for the last 13 years. It is falling apart and last year, cost a fortune to keep the water running during weeks of frigid temperatures…

The Sanctuary House is perfect for what I need now…  solace and peace. It is zoned commercial and residential and I can have a business there. It is owned by a wonderful woman who has been praying for the right person as this was her mother’s house and the move is being financed by MY mother who has had her whole church praying for me. Someone up there must have heard all of these petitions because I am in awe. I feel relief and disbelief that I should be given such an opportunity… But, I guess I just need to have a bit more faith that good things can happen in times of trouble!

Before I give you the tour, here are the bullet points:

• This is a test period. I have six months to show that I can make this work. I will rent for $1,000/month and then apply for a loan to buy it. The price is $110,000 and it is worth every penny. I “qualify” for a local loan where you only have to pay the closing costs, no down payment.
• The owner’s mother was a real estate agent. She added on to the house as she needed more room. Imagine a circle with a core. The core is the kitchen.  When you come in, a living room. Then, a hall and two bedrooms and bathroom. To the right, a library which leads to another room, annexed to the garage. At the back, a long den. Uses: living room, library and big room will be public space. I will have a shop for Artizan Made and TAFA and have events and classes. The den will be my studio and I might have my bed there, too. The garage can be used for messy classes (when the weather is good) and storage.
• There is currently someone living in the space. We met and are going to see if we can live together, but our tastes are very different. She is pastel blue and a morning person. I am Mediterranean colors and a night person. She is allergic to cats and I have four of them. Ha!  She is nice and talented. The paintings in the photos are her work.  We’ll see… If it doesn’t work, I will make the two rooms into an air bnb rental.
• I plan on using October to set up and open the shop on November 1st. It will be called Artizan Made, but will also promote TAFA. Members who want to will send in products on consignment and I will also buy some things that I think will work for the Paducah audience.  The test will run through the Quilt Show in April. Everything in the shop will also be available for purchase online.
• I will have limited shop hours, probably Thursday-Saturday, 11-6PM. The house is on a busy thoroughfare which people access to get from one busy commercial district to another. It has a country road feel to it.
• I will continue to work on the Green Roof concept. It needs to be set up as a non-profit and I have a list of people to meet and two interested people who would make great board members.
• I can’t change the décor until I buy the house. I hate carpeting and the pale blue colors are not me at all. Parquet floors lay beneath. I envision warmth, wood floors and bold colors. The space is also not conducive to showing large textiles. I would like to have shows for TAFA and will look for alternative spaces later. One thing at a time…  This space is perfect for gifts, garments, objects…  A good place to begin!

 

Tour

The house is surrounded by beautiful landscaping which has been neglected. It truly feels like a retreat there. The front has bricked flooring and a wrought iron fence. There is a back private space that has a privacy wall which is rotted and loaded down with ivy. At the left, there is a “secret garden” area. There is a path next to the garage. The whole house is surrounded by greenery and has a feeling of peace and solitude. I love it!!

 

I plan on screening in the back area somehow so that the cats can have access to the outside without total freedom.

 

There are two front doors, one for business, one for residence. The residence one opens to what is now a living room and the business one opens to what is a library. Both rooms will be public spaces for business. There are stained glass windows in several places in the house and they were salvaged from a church that was torn down. Beautiful! I have lived on church property for most of my life, so it feels like home to have them.

The furniture in the house belongs to the woman who has been living there. (So far, I have moved three van loads of fabric and some clothes!) I have displays from my old shops that are in storage.

Living Room

This will become a dining room and meeting place.

 

When you walk into the left room, you see the living room.  Straight ahead is the kitchen. There is a window where you can serve food to that room. On the left is the library which will be one of the shop rooms.

 

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It connects to the living room (which will become a dining room) and to the den (which will become my studio, office and bedroom).  The cats will be blocked from the public area by installing a door in the kitchen and in the second shop room. They will be confined to my studio area, which they will love.

 

 

The kitchen is really a work station, minimalist. To the far left, the washing machine and dryer hide behind the oven, installed in the wall. It is bright and cheery. There are skylights installed in several spots in the house, including the kitchen.  It opens up to the den (future studio).

 

Den/Studio

This is where I will spend most of my time. The den is long and ends in an ell on the right side which meets with the second shop room. On the right, sliding doors open up to the back yard. The back wall is all windows, looking out at nature. The facing wall has a grill area (?!!!) decorated with actual copper tiles.

 

 

Shop Area

We go back to the front. There are two large rooms on the right that are next to each other. One is currently a library and has nice shelving installed. Next to it is an “empty” room (there is some stuff in it now that needs to be removed) and it has a door that leads to the garage. At the end, it opens to the room where I will be sleeping.

 

 

Garage

 

 

 

Bedrooms

 

Now we go back to the living room. Again, facing forward is the kitchen, then den. To the right, library and 2nd shop room + garage. To the left, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Each bedroom has a walk-in closet.   !!!!!!!!!  I cannot say what a luxury this is after having been all this time in a house with NO closets! There is a hallway going to the bedrooms and there are also two closets there. It’s mind boggling to have so much space! The bedrooms are smallish, but because of the walk-in closets, they are ok. They have big picture windows that open up to the gardens. Lovely!

 

 

 

Finale

 

Although there are some hurdles and taste issues, I am overwhelmed by the potential here and by the respite. The house has a beautiful history and love lived here. It makes me feel respectful and grateful to hopefully give continuance to the life lived well before me (the owner’s mother lived here and was quite the woman!).  I am indebted to the owner for giving me this chance as it is hard to find a place that accepts pets here and I do love my critters. Above all, I am floored by my mother’s support. She is 80 and has her own property needs. I am 56 and she is giving me a new lease on life, a chance to escape the dire circumstances I have been living in. It’s humbling, yet it has also been so fun to share the process with her. She has looked at countless possibilities and her excitement for this space has been gratifying. I only wish we lived closer to each other. She is coming to visit in November and I am so excited to think of offering up this space to her as a retreat, whenever she needs to escape the winters of Wisconsin!

Motherhood….  A calling which only death can end. I am eternally grateful!

 

 

 

Address

 

Update your records!  My new address:

 

Rachel Biel

901 32nd St.

Paducah, KY 42001

USA

 

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 
― Albert Einstein