Memories, long a memory, now a studio

By Joseph Jawitz | Manor Ink

Parksville, NY – Feeling nostalgic? You may remember a building on Old Rte. 17 located in Parksville called Memories. Built in 1975, this former antique store was shuttered in the late 2000s. After the highway bypass around the hamlet was built in 2011, it effectively killed Parksville and drove local business owners out of town.

Enter on the scene two New York artists, film producers Marcus Brooks and Ali Azios, along with their two children. Like many other young families, they moved to the area because of its proximity to New York City, its affordability and its slower pace. They were searching for a sustainable, meaningful lifestyle that small town living seems to offer. Often along with that notion comes a sense of detachment and isolation. Brooks and Azios noticed a need for a shared creative space to gather and engage in with art.

Brooks was passionate about buying the building following it’s undergoing a bank foreclosure. Since May 2021, he has been working diligently with a group of other like-minded artists to evolve the space into a multi-purpose art venue. “It’s like the commodity is really the community. We’re establishing value in the community with art,” he said. “There are things that can help communities out that aren’t necessarily fiscal. Art is the blood of the people.” This has almost entirely been a volunteer effort on the part of others who also feel the need and have bought into the Brooks’ dream.

“Because the building has been built in sections, as far as being suitable for the public, it means that I can just open up segments at a time,” Brooks said. “I can attack different aspects of it. Its floorplan is like a Rubik’s Cube.” With so many people on board, Brooks says the building has reached a point where they are likely to be granted certificate of occupancy as early as July for a portion of the 27,000-square-foot building. He expects to have a grand opening week to combine open artist studios, live music, performances and a gallery show, among other plans for the summer debut. With businesses such as Memories, Parksville can look forward to growing support for artists and patrons.