Over the years, Brad and Brenda Chandler of Property Peddler have taken on a number of “side projects” rehabbing buildings across the area, their most recent being an old building in the heart of Red Bud. 

The first floor of the building, located at the corner of Main and Olive streets, will serve as another Property Peddler office and meeting location, where the Chandlers will conduct their real estate and auction business. The top floor, dubbed The Suites at Main & Olive, is home to two overnight suites.

“The goal of having an office in Red Bud is to better serve the friends and family of the community in Red Bud with a hometown agency that’s going to be there everyday to help with all of their needs,” Brad said. 

As a Red Bud native, Brenda felt called to preserve the building, which has long been a cornerstone to the community. 

“It’s been a lot of different things over its life,” Brad said, with Brenda adding, “Growing up here, I knew it was an antique store before, there was a craft store before, I just watched those types of changes. We heard the guy might sell it, and when the opportunity was there to purchase it, we did move forward with it.” 

The very name of the top floor is a nod to the well-loved bar that stood there decades before. 

But this is not the only piece of the past the Chandlers integrated into the rehabbed space. Everywhere one looks, one can see homages to the 1860s building’s history, resulting in what Brenda describes as a rustic modern feel. 

“We tried to preserve the integrity with a little twist. I think we wanted a classy stay, kind of a unique stay,” she said. “I always tell people that’s been through the decades. We have refrigerators that look like they came from the ‘50s in the suites. The soda bottle glass came from the ‘50s but yet the trim came from the 1800s. We tried to mix it up with a little bit of everything.” 

Yet, it’s not a total trip back in time, Brad said.

“We don’t have old furniture, we don’t have antiques,” he said. “One of the suites, the queen suite, is more industrial with the exposed spiral pipe, exposed brick and our four-by-seven-foot shower that’s 10 feet tall. The (king) suite is more classic.” 

Since purchasing the building in March, the Chandlers have breathed new life in the building through new windows, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, roof and refinishing what they could preserve of the doors and floors. 

There is still work to be done before the project is 100 percent complete, such as trim work, painting, accessorizing with window treatments and creating a top tier outdoor retreat. 

“We want to make our patio a nice entertainment area so if people are done for the night but they still want to visit, they can do it on the patio in the backyard.” 

This weekend, the Suites welcomed their first guests – a wedding party. The Chandlers said soon they will list the Suites on Airbnb, a popular vacation rental platform. 

While she said no events have officially been scheduled yet, Brenda said to stay tuned for upcoming houses and client events. Keep checking Property Peddler Inc’s Facebook Page and website, propertypeddler.com, for updates.