An Old NKY Gas Station Was Converted To a Cool Rentable Space For Business & Pleasure

Dayton, KY, the riverside neighbor of Bellevue, KY, is known for its increasingly excellent culinary offerings and burgeoning art scene. And now, thanks to Yard & Company—a local urban growth firm with an impressive portfolio—Dayton also has an attractive, flexible, rentable space that anyone can utilize for a variety of creative functions. Meetings, events, office work, pop-up shops, team jam sessions, and professional broadcasting are but a few examples of what their new space is primed to facilitate.

Known as The Garage, the space comprises two buildings with an outdoor area between them. The larger of the two is The Garage, a wide-open room filled with flexible furniture, customizable lighting, and technological enhancements that are ideal for connecting with others and illustrating ideas. The smaller building, known as The Station, is perfect for pop-up shops and drive-thru concepts. Either one can be rented by the hour or day, or both can be rented simultaneously. It's a great way to have all the benefits of a fully functional space without being locked into a lease, especially if you're an employer without a formal office.

The outdoor area, known as The Commons, can be rented for open-air events in addition to The Garage and/or The Station.

According to the Yard & Company's Kevin Wright and Joe Nickol, the concept for The Garage started before they found its current location. They could see the inevitable confluence of work and home life taking shape even before the catalyzing effect brought on by the pandemic. They also saw how people were clamoring for accessible, hyperlocal experiences that allowed them to become the super hosts they aspired to be. With that in mind, they looked for a space that would facilitate everything from work meetings to drive-thru baby showers to meet the many needs of those seeking a flexible rental space.

As you may have already guessed, the buildings they finally landed on were originally built to service and refuel automobiles along Dayton's main drag. When they found the former garage and gas station was available and recently upgraded with HVAC and roof improvements, they decided its clean slate setup and prime location would be the perfect place to bring their idea into reality.

After working to give the building a modern, relaxed aesthetic with help from interior designers Maria Cooper Berning and Kimberly Nickoson Ranz, they opened it up to small business owners to use. Local BBQ favorite Just Q'in held a 50-person event in The Commons with enough room to comfortably space everyone out. And Unataza Coffee, Northern Kentucky's finest Honduran coffee joint, set up shop in The Station to make the most of its convenient drive-thru setup.

Recently, Yard & Company began renting both buildings to the general public by the hour. Renting the different areas is as easy as logging into The Garage's website and selecting the amount of time you'd like to reserve either space. After confirming you've booked the space, you get a personalized access code to enter your space at your reserved time.

There are five customizable packages from which to choose on The Garage's website (view them here). Rates for The Garage begin at $15 per hour and increase with the scope of use. Add-ons, such as movie packages and attendant service, can be included a la carte to enhance the experience further. Like the spaces themselves, everything is highly customizable and tailored to meet the needs of the reservation.

"What I like is the flexibility to come in here for a couple hours, put your head down and get to work as a team, use the whiteboard, use the TV, and when four o'clock rolls around, you roll up the garage door, bring out the fire pits, open some beer, and have kind of a team event," says Kevin Wright of Yard & Company. "It's very adaptable and scalable to different uses."

Learn more about The Garage and reserve it for yourself by visiting its website. Follow The Garage on Instagram, too.

To see inside The Garage, check out the gallery above.

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The Garage is located at 825 6th Avenue in Dayton, Kentucky.