A year ago, The Chattery experienced a devastating classroom fire. This fire caused significant damage to its facilities, resulting in a complete loss of the contents inside.
Since October 2024, the organization has been housed in a temporary location, and today, they are announcing plans to purchase their former classroom space at 1800 Rossville Avenue.
After the fire, thanks to the generosity of The Chattery’s community, the organization was able to quickly pivot and not close for good. The community support allowed them to host classes in various locations like Common House, The Edney, and Society of Work.
With help from River City Company, The Chattery has been able to activate an available downtown space so they could resume normal operations.
“The loss of our classroom space that we worked so hard to secure was devastating last year,” says Jennifer Holder, co-founder of The Chattery. “Over the last year, we’ve had time to reflect on what The Chattery means to us and our community. Through this reflection, we’ve decided to purchase the classroom space we've previously called home since 2019.”
With the purchase of their space comes new opportunities:
- Doubling the organization’s 2,500 square foot space to 5,000 square feet
- Dedicated office space for rent for like-minded nonprofits, artists and entrepreneurs
- An arts and crafts creative reuse thrift shop
- Flexible meeting and rental space
- Expanded class offerings
- Creative collaboration space for artists, entrepreneurs and makers
“As a residential realtor in Chattanooga, I know that wealth building begins with ownership of real estate,” says Marie King, The Chattery’s board president. “I’m extremely proud of Jennifer and Shawanda for taking this leap and for what they provide to our community.”
The Chattery has also launched From Ashes to Action, a building fund campaign to raise $50,000 as a community investment to help them with the building purchase. Owning the building allows The Chattery to secure a permanent home and ensure it can continue serving the community for generations to come.
To support The Chattery’s building fund campaign, donations can be made at thechattery.org/buildingfund. Offline donations are also accepted and can be mailed to: The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Ave., Suite 108B, Chattanooga, TN 37408
Naming rights opportunities are also available for corporations looking for creative ways to make an impact.
For campaign and building updates, follow The Chattery on Facebook and Instagram.