A century-old shoe factory in Charleston is being brought back to life by a local man and a growing network of volunteers from across the country.

CHARLESTON, Ill. (WAND) — A century-old shoe factory in Charleston is being brought back to life by a local man and a growing network of volunteers from across the country. Chris Martin grew up in the area and walked past the factory frequently as a child. 

The Brown Shoe Building, constructed in 1919, once employed Charleston residents in shoe manufacturing. The three-story, 66,000-square-foot structure sat largely dormant in recent years before Martin purchased it in 2019.

"Here in Charleston, for the locals, everybody had a family member [who] worked here," Martin said. "This building played a giant role in just our local economy and helping this town survive and thrive. It's a really important kind of part of our community that has been sitting off to the side."

Martin said the building was packed with modern and historical materials when he took ownership, with random items filling the space from the floor to the ceiling.

"It took us almost four years to clean this space out," Martin said. "But as you can see by looking around, this is a really cool industrial space."

As work progressed, Martin launched a YouTube channel called Brick and Sole to document the renovation. The channel has grown to nearly 90,000 subscribers.

Martin has recruited those followers to volunteer at the space, with people travelling from California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Colorado.

"Times are changing, and we live in such a fast-paced, temporary kind of world these days, and this kind of represents something that's permanent and it's like at the backbone of our community," Martin said. "I think that just resonates with people."

The renovation has also attracted outside financial support. Martin said a recently completed roof replacement was funded by an anonymous donor, with labor provided at no cost by an out-of-state company.

Martin said he is considering future uses for the space, including a trade school and a venue.

"I've kind of fallen in love with the idea of doing a trade school here in Charleston and also maybe a venue space," Martin said.

He said a shortage of skilled tradespeople makes the training concept a priority. 

"Right now, 10 people are retiring from the trades and only one person is entering," Martin said. "It's frustrating, and there's just not enough people out there with the skills and the know-how, so we need trades training." 

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