Through The Floor (Vol. 2)
living downtown still means you're likely living above something; we caught up with a handful of residents about their experiences being the 'upstairs neighbor'
V1 Staff, photos by Andrea Paulseth, Mike O'Brien
Well, it has certainly been a while since our last installment of "Through the Floor" (over a decade, in fact!), where we check in with our friends and neighbors who call downtown Eau Claire home.
Whether you've dreamt of living in the cozy hideaway right above your favorite downtown spot or are just plain curious to hear local perspectives on what life as the "upstairs neighbor" is like, here's the scoop – from above-business apartment dwellers themselves.
Living Above A Bar
The Pros
"There is a good view up here and a restaurant 500 feet in all four directions. I run into a lot of people, whether they are at the coffee shop or any of the surrounding bars; it's been good for reaching out to people. There's a lot of hidden gems (downtown) – I've never lived in a place where everything was so accessible to me." –H.F.
"I love living right on Barstow (Street): the fairy lights on the trees out on the street and how much life there actually is at night – which is what I craved, because at my old place it was quiet. I'm hearing the buzz of people going to get coffee... or their bottles of wine. I just get a nice ambiance of the jazz that's usually coming up (above) or the peaceful folk music. The hums of conversation (are) literally a dream; feeling like I'm at one of the centers of the city just feels really good." –M.I.
The Cons
"I had zero qualms about living above a bar because I have a cochlear implant; I'm pretty much completely deaf. When I am by myself or at home, I just don't wear it. But on the weekends, the vibrations from the music will travel all the way up and through the carpet to my bed. My bed will kind of rumble and it makes it hard to sleep." –H.F.
"Because it's such an old building, (the apartment) has this really dense stone and brick. I had to give in and do Spectrum Wi-Fi, and (the servicer) could not set it up because it's such an old building. So, we literally had a three-and-a-half hour adventure; we had to go up on the roof, go into both of the basements... that Spectrum thing was hilarious." –M.I.
The hums of conversation (are) literally a dream; feeling like I'm at one of the centers of the city just feels really good. –M.I.
Got Any Advice?
"I would definitely consider buying a pair of AirPods or any sort of headphones, earplugs if you are sensitive to light or noise at night. For anyone that wants to live around Water Street: absolutely take advantage of all of the small businesses – the mom and pop shops." –H.F.
"Befriending your community members and your business owners, because you can hear (directly) from them: 'Oh, this place is getting sold.' There are some really cool buildings in Eau Claire – scout them out and get creative when you're looking for places to live. Form authentic relationships with people and the business owners, because you (can feel) like 'my rent is going to your business (and) I want to support what you are doing.' " –M.I.
Living Above A Retailer
The Pros
"You get to know people – other retailers too. We kind of (all) became friends. It's really nice walking along the street (downtown), we take the cat out for walks. It feels very much like a community. There's always something to do, you can walk out and in the spur of the moment walk over to 2 Roots and listen to some great music. Even if you don't know anyone there, people are so incredibly friendly.
Two (concerns) that come up, I think, for people is safety and parking (downtown). I feel very safe here; as far as parking goes, you pretty much walk everywhere, so you don't really need that. The bus services right here, so that's really great." –M.S.
Got Any Advice?
"Don't hesitate. A lot of (units) are rentals and I think there's a lot to be said for living in a rental; you don't have the pressures of home ownership. It's some sometimes hard to find a place, but you have to get creative and really be determined to find it. I don't know if I have any real words of wisdom except for 'go for it.' " –M.S.
To ensure the safety and privacy of sources interviewed, initials have been utilized in place of first and last names. Interested in sharing your stories of downtown living? Send a message to editorial@volumeone.org.