Evolution of an Enterprise, Chapter 1: Almost Open

Jason Mitchell and Michael Mardis have a hue of green paint on them as they step into the crisp December air.

Mardis pulls keys from his pocket and locks the front door of their nearly open business. It’s 11:30 p.m., and another full day of prep work is over.

The rest won’t last long. In just a few short hours the duo will be back at their office – painting, working on floors, cleaning, organizing, ordering supplies, furnishing … the list of chores goes on, but the days don’t.

Their business is slated to open Jan. 2, less than a week away.

Daunting? Mitchell doesn’t think so.

“The scariest thing right now is the fact that we’re finishing up the space and then with finishing the space comes actually opening our doors,” Mitchell said. “It’s a wave of a whole new type of responsibility.”

Building a dream

Mitchell and Mardis are architects and first-time business owners. Through the workshop 308 LLC, a 50-50 venture, Mitchell and Mardis plan to design environmentally friendly and affordable houses and design and build furniture that sometimes also uses environmentally friendly materials.

“In the midst of beige strip malls, billboards, fields of asphalt, suburban sprawl, pollution and clutter, our goal is to offer designs and products with lasting quality and meaning for our clients and environment,” reads their vision statement.

Mitchell and Mardis believe in their vision, and they hope Springfield will, too.

They’ve pooled $20,000 in savings and pulled numerous late nights working on their 1,200-square-foot leased space at 308 W. Commercial St., hence the firm’s name.

Now, the time has come to open.