The historic Sobota building in Grand Rapids’ West Side is under new ownership.
The 1,600-square-foot building at 900 Muskegon Ave. NW is now home to The Hub, owned and operated by Paul Soltysiak, a long-time West Sider and tenant. Soltysiak has completed final renovations on the building, including new exterior color and re-branding.
The Hub offers small business space along with the opportunity to network and brainstorm with other similar businesses — mostly related to marketing and advertising.
“The Hub is really a unique location that provides an opportunity to collaborate with other like-minded entrepreneurs,” Soltysiak said. “And The Hub has really nourished a really cool creative culture here and become part of the continued rebirth of the West Side, particularly among like-minded, imaginative small business owners.”
Soltysiak recently bought the building from Rick Overway, who fostered the creative incubator when he purchased the building in 2010 and housed his trade show graphics business there.
“My passion for the space was parallel to that of Rick’s, and I was fortunate to be in a position to purchase the building from him and continue the creative legacy that we have here,” Soltysiak said.
Built in 1928, the Sobota building has a long history of helping launch and/or nurture, several successful small businesses, including GRNow, COM 616, The Polishing Center, FoldFox and the Lucid Group, among others.
The building also was home to the Stockbridge Association board work, projects for Bissell Business Ventures and home base for the president of the American Marketing Association of West Michigan.
“It’s just great co-working space for the pro’s pro. And it’s really a source of West Side pride,” Soltysiak said.
The building features two conference rooms, two levels of office space, huge storefront windows that illuminate the interior and free on-site parking.
In addition to Soltysiak’s Holland Litho sales office, other tenants include Castello Creative, Red66 Marketing, Mayan Industries, and Branding Loud and Clear.
