Internet design firm purchases Granby Street spot

NORFOLK

A Web and graphics design firm has purchased a 92-year-old building in downtown Norfolk and plans to renovate the space and relocate its headquarters there.

Grow Interactive purchased the former Altschul's clothing store at 427 Granby St. for $610,000 and will spend an additional $600,000 to renovate the property, said Drew Ungvarsky, the company's president.

The nearly 5,000-square-foot building was formerly owned by Granby Street Investments LLC.

Grow Interactive, which was founded in 2003 and employs 15 workers, specializes in designing Web sites and online advertising. The company currently leases about 2,900 square feet in a suite on West 22nd Street in Norfolk, Ungvarsky said.

The firm plans to hire three workers after the renovation is completed in June, he said.

"That's kind of what the move is for," Ungvarsky said. "We realized a year ago that we were in a place to outgrow our space. The goal is to give us enough room to expand for years to come."

About 45 percent of the cost of renovation will be funded by selling historic tax credits, he said. The renovations will include adding a mezzanine area, refinishing hardwood floors and restoring other sections of the building.

"We want to be part of an active downtown community and help contribute to the multiuse of Granby Street," Ungvarsky said.

Josh Brown, (757) 446-2318, josh.brown@pilotonline.com