When the former Tidewater Community College Visual Arts Center in downtown Portsmouth came up for sale, successful Hampton Roads entrepreneur Angela Reddix knew what to do with the property.
The founder, president and CEO of ARDX, a Norfolk-based healthcare management and technology consulting firm, is known for supporting others on their path to entrepreneurial success. She mentors young girls through her nonprofit Envision Lead Grow and advises women in business through Reddix Rules.
When the 33,000-square-foot building at 340 High St. opened, she saw an opportunity to find a home for resilience training and coaching, where women become part of a tribe while seeking capital and growing their businesses.
Reddix and her husband, Carl, purchased the building in April for $1.9 million. Renovations aimed at transforming and modernizing the building, which has been empty since the summer of 2021, are expected to amount to $1 million.
Reddix said it is a building provided by women for women to provide services primarily used by women. So it is almost a center for women empowerment.
Reddix called the property the Mustard Seed Place, a biblical reference.
If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains, she said. This building is a mustard seed where small dreams become big.
The first and second floors will be a place where women small business owners can learn and grow together, while also serving as a training ground for other women-owned small businesses, she added.
Look at the opportunities that are being created for these women, Reddix said. If we can influence women, we influence families, communities, cities, states and so on.
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Angela Reddix, founder, president and CEO of ARDX, purchased a building on the corner of High and Court streets in downtown Portsmouth. (courtesy photo)
Leases have been signed for eight businesses in various stages of development, including a mental health boutique and spa, a shared exercise studio, a cooking studio and lunch café, a film production studio and a bridal boutique. The removals are expected in November.
Envision Lead Grow, now in its eighth year of operation, will relocate to a location on High Street. A related social entrepreneurship program for young people will be announced soon, she added.
A wealth lab focusing on financial literacy will provide women with a safe place to learn about money. Reddix will provide mentoring to internal business owners and conduct coaching classes for others without a space at the center. The facility will also offer conference space for 80 people and a non-profit accelerator that will support the business side of each organization’s mission.
The third floor, including the roof, will house Trs Elv, a French-inspired event space with seating for 450 people, intended for high-end weddings and corporate events.
Once known as The Famous, an upscale department store with a penthouse bridal suite, Reddix is elated that history will, in a sense, repeat itself.
They own the parking lot across the street, so it won’t be a problem for employees, customers and event participants, she added.
“I’m very proud to be a bright light in a community that sometimes doesn’t get much shine,” she said.
To learn more, visit mustardseedplace.com
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
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