
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 23, 1995                   TAG: 9506230045
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TWISTS & TURNS TO BE FIRST TENANT IN HISTORIC BUILDING

Twists & Turns, a Roanoke-based manufacturer and distributor of metal furniture, said Thursday it would move its Roanoke showroom to the former Grand Piano Exchange building, becoming the first tenant announced for the structure, which is under renovation.

The historic building at 129 Campbell Ave. on the City Market, which was purchased at auction in March by Martin Hellkamp for $162,750, is undergoing extensive renovations. It is being largely restored to its appearance at the time it was built in 1910.

Hellkamp, a Roanoke real estate investor, said he had leased the entire 4,500-square-foot first floor to Twists & Turns, which must move from its current location across Campbell Avenue by Sept. 1.

Cynthia Cassell, an owner of the business, said it will move for more space, a better location and improved visibility. The store sells residential furniture that it makes andother home decor items.

The location will become the Roanoke showroom for 3-year-old Twists & Turns, which also owns a warehouse on Norfolk Avenue. It has showrooms in Charlotte, N.C., and Richmond and is planning to open retail outlets in a half-dozen other locations. Also, it recently published a catalog seeking mail-order business.

Hellkamp said the second floor of the building was being remodeled for office space, but has not yet been leased. The structure is at Campbell Avenue and Williamson Road.

He is charging $12 a square foot on an annual lease for the retail and office space that is finished and ready for occupancy, or less if the tenants complete the space.

The third floor is being converted into four "very, very high end" apartments, Hellkamp said. Two will have two bedrooms and two baths; the others will have one bedroom and two baths.

Because of the high rent he will charge, Hellkamp is mailing letters to local businesses proposing the location for use as corporate apartments for commercial guests and workers stationed temporarily in Roanoke.

Rent for the apartments will equal the commercial rates of about $12 a square foot, but he said he may sell the apartments rather than lease them because there is interest in downtown condominiums.

Hellkamp expects to have no difficulty filling the apartments. He said all 37 of the apartments recently constructed downtown are rented and he has had many inquiries about the space.

Each of the two upper floors contains 4,500 square feet.

The building formerly housed the budget or exchange outlet of Grand Piano and Furniture Co., which has moved to Campbell Avenue and First Street Southwest.

by CNB