'It was part of my childhood'; YouTuber renovating Charleston factory

CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Charleston’s Brown Shoe Company building is slowly being renovated by a YouTuber.

Chris Martin is one of the members of the YouTube channel Brick and Sole, a page dedicated to restoring the old factory into a concert and wedding venue. It has more than 75,000 followers and 200 videos.

“The Brown Shoe is like this monolithic building here in Charleston,” Martin said. “It was part of my childhood, me and my grandfather used to walk by it everyday when I was a kid.”

When he first bought the building three years ago for $20,000, years of neglect had created a mess. 

“When we first got the place, you could barely squeeze through here,” Martin said.

Now, some rooms are spotless. Others, not so much. So, Martin occasionally asks for help from his followers with the task.

“We have a volunteer day today, people from all over the country, as far as Florida, West Coast, Pennsylvania,” Martin said. 

For some of the volunteers who lent a helping hand Saturday, the mission is a personal matter.

Sharon Reed Marvel’s father worked for the factory for years, and worked his way up from the cutting room to superintendent.

“This has been a part of my heart for a long time,” Marvel said. “When I found out someone actually wanted to restore the place, I don’t know what all of his plans are, but I was excited. It means a lot to my heart and my sister Jody because we were very proud of our dad.”

Right now, Martin and volunteers are just working on clearing stuff out to get back to a blank slate.

Once the project is complete, Martin hopes to open a venue space first to create revenue, and then open up the rest of the spaces later. Other additions might include an antiques showroom and makerspace. 

Martin said he hopes to start opening in 18 months.