Giving your new business a simple name like “The Space” opens it up to many possibilities — exactly what Hempfield resident Sarah Just is hoping to do.

Located in a historic brick building at 203 Old Route 30, Hempfield, the recently opened business is subtitled “A Community Place.”

Just’s vision is to provide space for local makers to sell their products, and for practitioners of various self-care disciplines to lead workshops.

The goal is “to build community, to create a place where people are comfortable and excited to join us for anything under the umbrella of self-care — which is so varying, depending on the person,” she said.

“We hope to provide lots of different options, so that anybody can come to what speaks to them and connect with people they might not connect with otherwise.”

Just is certified to lead prenatal yoga classes. She has friends skilled in areas including reiki, animal energy healing, candle and soap-making, crochet and macrame.

The Space already has hosted a workshop on sourcing local foods and growing microgreens, along with a July full moon celebration.

“My whole thing is that I want people to have a space to do work that they’re passionate about,” Just said.

A small retail space contains products from about 10 local artisans, including artwork, jewelry, wearable items and self-care products, which are sold on consignment.

A hilltop open space behind the building can be used for outdoor events.

In addition to her yoga practice and running The Space, Just also works part time at Helltown Brewing in Mt. Pleasant and manages social media pages for Greensburg Live, IronRock Tap House and The Local 724 podcast.

She helps her husband, Jake Just, who is a teacher, with his summer gig, The Funnel Cake Men food truck. They also have three young children.

‘All the pieces fit’

Prior to the pandemic shutdown, she and some friends had been talking about finding a place to stage their various workshops. Coincidentally, around that time, Jake looked at an available space in a building owned by a neighbor, where The Space ended up being located.

That neighbor, Scott Smith, also owns Laurel Design Associates, headquartered in the historic brick building that originally was a schoolhouse.

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review Items from local artisans are offered at The Space, a new arts consignment shop and workshop venue in Hempfield.  

At that time, the design business was on the lower level, so Jake toured an upstairs space, in hopes of opening a jiu jitsu studio. Due to the pandemic, that idea stalled.

In the interim, Smith moved upstairs and invited her to look at the ground floor. Despite it needing some renovations, she said, it immediately felt right for her vision.

“I called Jake and said, ‘I’m gonna have to rent this space now,’” she said.

To fill the retail section, Just contacted local makers, some she knew and others she didn’t.

“A few came in when it was a totally empty room, and I told them my idea and what I wanted to do, that I wanted a small retail section with local people,” she said. “Some of them, in this empty room that’s half-painted, said, ‘I’m in.’ They’d never met me, but they were all about it.

“I don’t think anything came together on accident,” she added. “All the pieces fit together too beautifully for it to have been an accident.”

Currently scheduled workshops are listed at thespacegbg.com. Practitioners interested in conducting workshops at the site can contact Just on the website or at The Space GBG on Facebook or Instagram.

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