Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND — Pet Barn owner Terry Sutherland is optimistic about Worland’s future and he acted on that optimism when he purchased the former Rock Bottom Bar at 607 Big Horn and is now renovating it into one of the nicer main street properties available for rent.

Sutherland bought the property at auction and he hired Washakie Works to renovate the property. An open house was held last Wednesday for people to come and look at the property and offer suggestions on what Sutherland might be able to recruit into the facility.

There is 3,000 square feet upstairs with a basement available for use by the tenant.

Scott Richard of Washakie Works said the old freight elevator had to be taken out to meet new code and a new set of stairs has been constructed for access to the basement.

Former patrons of the Rock Bottom Bar won’t recognize the inside much anymore with the bar gone opening, up the front area. A break room and an office have been added to the facility. Richard said the office will include a one-way mirror so anyone in the office can see who is coming in but allows for privacy so that people cannot see into the office.

He said there wasn’t a lot of plumbing work that had to be done, except removing one of the restrooms. The other restroom has been converted to a janitorial closet. Richard said there is all new electrical in the building. Sutherland said the building comes complete with fiber optics for internet and telecommunications capabilities.

There are also all new heating and cooling systems.

Richard said the building is about 80 percent complete with LED lighting still to be installed and some of the flooring to finish.

Sutherland said he didn’t want the building complete at the time of the open house because he wants to be able to make some modifications to suit a tenant, or a buyer.

He said he got the idea about renovating a main street property when he was chairman of the Worland Main Street Program. He visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Des Moines, Iowa, and said, “It seems to me that with all of the empty buildings in Worland, the property owners could turn their buildings into income-producing space. He said some buildings may need more work than others, but some upgrades may entice a new business.

“I had to the opportunity to get this building inexpensively,” Sutherland said. He initially offered it to the Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber of Commerce but it wasn’t in their budget.

So, he decided to “set a good example. I turned one of the worst buildings in town into one of the best,” Sutherland said. “I wanted to show what’s possible with a minimal amount of money to make a building new and productive.”

He added that the changes to the building at 607 Big Horn is just another step in improving that area of Main Street, following on what Firenze’s was able to do with their property.

Sutherland said, “There’s not anything wrong with Worland that change in the economy won’t help. There’s an air of optimism with the coal and oil industry poised to improve. The message I want to convey is that Worland is not dying, we’re just going through a down cycle and poised to come back bigger than ever.”

He added that Washakie County is blessed with diverse industry and more industry for its size than some larger counties in the state.

SUGGESTIONS

Sutherland said at last week’s open house about 40 people attended from the financial and real estate areas, as well as other businesses owners. “We had a good cross-section,” he said.

He asked for suggestions and received 32 different ideas. For himself, Sutherland said he sees the space more apt for a trade school, such as a beauty school, graphic design school or training center.

He said he doesn’t see it as retail only because retail businesses have so much competition today with the internet and other stores.

Ideas from the open house attendees include trade learning center, internet café, chamber of commerce/welcome center, celebration hall, arts and crafts gallery, artisans co-op gallery, arcade/kids hang out; Starbucks, organic foods, sit down restaurant, tap room/bar, Qdoba, housewares, affordable children clothing, giftware/Wyoming made, kitchen gadgets such as Love’s gifts in Cody; sit down coffee shop with entertainment such as a reading area, sip and paint, bingo, games; manufacturing/tools or recreational item; auto dealer; mobile laundry/dry cleaning/seamstress/alterations; evening diner with live piano music, bakery, old-fashioned candy store, sandwich shop, sports store, drug store, office space, outdoor leadership school, mom and pop café that stays open late, retail kiosks with multiple retail outlets in one building — shoes, clothing, crafts; tanning salon and clothing store.

Sutherland said he has plans to talk to Northwest College, Sheridan College, WyoTech in Laramie and Blanco Blanco Cosmetology School in Billings to see if there’s interest in some type of trade school.