Welcome to Main Street Stories

Every building has a story.

Some stories are easy to find, neatly written down and carefully preserved. Others are tucked away in old deeds, faded photographs, newspaper advertisements, layers of wallpaper—and in the memories of the people who once walked through the doors.

The story of 334 South Main Street in Anna, Illinois, is one we are only beginning to uncover.

Welcome to Main Street Stories, a blog about the history of our building, the people and businesses that have been part of it, and its new chapter as The Space on Main.

A Building With Good Bones

When Bryan and I purchased 334 South Main Street in 2015, we knew very little about its history. We knew it was old. We knew it was in bad shape. We also knew it had good enough bones to be brought back to life.

Our original plan was to open a frozen yogurt store. As often happens, plans changed along the way—but first, we had to tackle the building itself.

The back portion of the building was in especially poor condition. The roof had fallen in, leaving part of the building exposed to the weather. There was so much work ahead of us, and I will admit that I thought the renovation would go much faster than it did. It took us about a year to complete.

Bryan handled the purchase, demolition, planning, and design of the renovation. He also did most of the physical work himself, with the exception of the electrical and plumbing. His own two hands touched nearly every part of this building, and that is a large part of what makes it so special to me.

During the renovation, Bryan would sometimes ask me, “How strong are you feeling today?”

That was usually my warning that some heavy lifting was about to happen!

One of our more unexpected visitors was a raccoon that had found its way into the back room while there was still no roof. We managed to capture it and set it free, although I am fairly certain the raccoon believed it had already claimed the building as its own.

There were certainly moments when we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Still, Bryan could see what the building might become. We both believed that restoring it could help bring life and commerce back to Main Street.

Like many small towns, Anna’s downtown changed when larger stores began drawing businesses and shoppers away from Main Street during the late 1970s and early 1980s. We wanted to save one small piece of the downtown and help make it useful to the community again.

Clues Hidden Inside the Walls

The building offered us little glimpses of its past as we worked.

The exposed brick walls seemed to tell a story of their own. One wall was much more weathered than the other, leading us to believe that it may have once been an exterior wall and could be part of an older section of the building.

We also uncovered a unique layer of wallpaper featuring Revolutionary War figures. Unfortunately, it could not be saved, but we did take a photograph of it. It was one of those discoveries that made us stop and wonder who placed it there, how long it had been covered, and what other pieces of the building’s history might still be waiting to be found.

We wanted to preserve the exposed brick because it carried so much character. However, portions of it were crumbling, so we eventually had to paint over it. Even beneath the paint, the texture and charm remain.

Today, the restored building has a simple, welcoming interior that serves as a blank canvas for all kinds of events. Its arched entrance is one of its most distinctive features and, in my slightly biased opinion, makes it one of the most beautiful buildings on Main Street.

A New Purpose for an Old Building

Today, 334 South Main Street is home to The Space on Main, a flexible rental venue created to serve our community.

The space can be transformed for birthday parties, baby and bridal showers, family celebrations, business meetings, workshops, classes, pop-up shops, club gatherings, photography sessions, and other small community events.

There is something very rewarding about watching people gather and make new memories in a building we worked so hard to restore. Each celebration, meeting, class, and pop-up adds another page to its story.

Our hope is that The Space on Main will continue to contribute to the renewal of downtown Anna. We want it to be a place where families feel welcome, small businesses can introduce themselves to the community, organizations can gather, and good ideas have room to grow.

When someone rents The Space on Main, they are not simply renting four walls and a few tables and chairs. They are becoming part of the continuing story of a building that has served generations of people in Anna.

Why We Are Starting Main Street Stories

We have owned the building for more than 10 years, and the deed and abstract were with us that entire time. We simply had never taken the time to sit down and truly read through them.

Life was much more hectic when we bought the building. Now that we are empty nesters, we finally have time for such things!

Once we began reading, we realized how much history had been sitting right in front of us. Names, dates, property transfers, and other details began opening doors to stories we had never heard.

Through Main Street Stories, we hope to learn more about the former owners, families, merchants, employees, and customers connected to 334 South Main Street. We will share what we discover in deeds, newspaper articles, business advertisements, historical photographs, public records, and the clues we found during renovation.

There are already many questions we hope to answer:

What businesses operated here through the years? Who worked in the building? What did the storefront look like during different eras? What did people come here to purchase? What memories were made inside these walls?

We know official records will only tell part of the story. The rest lives in family photo albums, newspaper clippings, old receipts—and in the memories of people who shopped, worked, or visited here.

We Would Love Your Help

If you remember this building, we would love to hear from you.

Perhaps you shopped here as a child, worked for one of its former businesses, or remember a family member talking about it. You may have an old photograph, advertisement, receipt, newspaper clipping, or story that could help us fill in a missing chapter.

Please feel free to send us a message with your memories, photographs, corrections, or additional information. We want to be as accurate as possible, and we welcome the help of longtime Anna residents, former residents, local historians, and anyone with a connection to the building.

Bryan and I may be its owners today, but we think of ourselves as caretakers of a much longer community story.

We hope this blog helps you feel like part of The Space on Main family—and helps you see that when you hold a celebration or gathering here, you are using a very special place.

The building’s purpose has changed many times over the years. Its story is still being uncovered, and its future is still being written.

We hope you will join us for the next chapter.