The owners of the Chop House on Main are looking to purchase 100-120 N. Main St. to establish a ballroom that will seat 300 people. Andrew and Amber Carlson discussed their plans to members of the Jamestown Local Development Corp. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

Andrew and Amber Carlson seem to be having a ball as the owners of numerous restaurants in Chautauqua County. The two have now set their sights on a downtown building that will help others have a ball as well.

On Wednesday, the Carlsons outlined their vision for developing 100-120 N. Main St. into the Ballroom On Main, an extension of the Chop House on Main that the pair own next door. Details for what would be a significant venture inside a largely vacant property were shared with members of the Jamestown Local Development Corp.

Andrew Carlson said the plan is to construct a banquet hall on the building’s second floor large enough to seat 300 people. He said there will be access to the business from North Main Street, with a lobby, bar and cocktail reception area on the first floor.

The Carlsons have submitted an application for a $140,350 “jobs and private investment” loan from JLDC, a not-for-profit corporation that serves as the lending agency of the city’s Department of Development. The money will go toward the purchase of the building, owned currently by the United Christian Advocacy Network.

In 2021, UCAN had bought the property — known for once housing the Field and Wright Furniture manufacturing showrooms — for a women and children’s rescue shelter before that plan fell through due to funding and asbestos problems.

Andrew Carlson said they are looking to purchase the property for $190,000 and then invest another $186,000 for a new roof. At present, he said all of the tenants on the first floor plan to “stay put” along North Main.

“We are committed to downtown and really growing,” Andrew Carlson said. “All of the people that were in here before, I really thank them all for their services because we get a lot of business from all of them, which is great. But it’s up to us, too, to wow people coming in downtown. We want to be apart of what they’re talking about when they’re going home and talking about Jamestown. I think we’ve done a pretty good job at that and we will continue to moving forward.”

In addition to the Chop House on Main, which has 38 workers, the Carlsons also own the Village Casino in Bemus Point and Buddy Brewster’s in Fredonia and Lakewood.

The pair had attempted to purchase the 100-120 North Main St. building a couple of years ago but lost out when UCAN came in with a higher bid. They already have a ballroom off their Chop House restaurant, though it’s technically located within the Field and Wright building. The ballroom can seat about 80 people at present.

“We were really excited to get the opportunity again to purchase that building to further our investment into downtown Jamestown,” Andrew Carlson said.

Due to a lack of quorum, JLDC tabled the Carlsons’ request for a 10-year fixed loan. The resolution will be taken up through unanimous consent before heading to the Jamestown City Council for approval.

Andrew Carlson said it could take up to a year for the new ballroom to be constructed once the building has been purchased and a new roof is installed. Overall, he said they have a five-year plan to develop the entire property.

“It’s something we’re really excited about,” he said. “Our dedication to food and banquets — we’ve been in the banquet business a long time. We have the banquet hall in the Village Casino upstairs. We’re used to larger receptions, and I think that we can perform very well and bring a venue to downtown that’s really cool.”

In other JLDC business:

¯ funding of $7,200 was approved toward this year’s Scandinavian Folk Festival, which will return to downtown Jamestown July 15 and 16. Don Sandy, festival coordinator, said local events help “celebrate and preserve the Scandinavian heritage of the people of Jamestown as well as the community.”

Sandy said a large portion of the funding will go toward bringing a Viking ship back to Jamestown for this year’s festival.

¯ funding of $10,200 was discussed for “The Wednesday Night Get Down.”

“I would like to have a community event every Wednesday where we mesh different artists together,” said Matt Arnold, who is seeking money through the Fund for Downtown Programming. “It’s not just about fire performers, it’s about LED performers and the full community.”

Each event, which will be free and open to the community, will be held from 7-10:30 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning June 28 at McCrea Point Park. Funding will go toward insurance costs and for a parks employee to be present.

“Every penny that we get is going into this event,” Arnold said.