The Swetland Opera House Block — located on South Erie Street — has been part of Mayville’s history for years, previously being home to a theater, something that Trevor and Barb Nickerson are looking to renovate with their project.

Currently, the building is home to four businesses: Mayberry Jungle, Quintessential, Handcrafted From The Heart, and Bene Esse — owned by Barb Nickerson, along with the old theater and apartment spaces.

The Nickersons originally bought the space for Bene Esse and then eventually bought the rest as well.

“The Swetland Opera House Block building, houses first floor commercial storefronts or offices, and has apartments and a theater or opera house on the second and third floor,” Trevor Nickerson said. “We initially rented and restored the space for my wife’s office, which led to the purchase of the building as a restoration/business venture.”

Part of the restoration of the theater. The tin wall on the side is from the original theater and the couple plans to keep it there. Submitted photo

The plan, which the couple calls The Swetland Opera House Block Project, is meant to restore the upper parts of the building while keeping the up and coming stores on the first floor as they are. To help pay for the project and expenses for Bene Esse, Barb Nickerson has also opened a retail section for her practice.

“We have begun to incorporate retail to help fund both Bene Esse and The Swetland Opera House Block Project,” Barb Nickerson said. “One hundred percent of the proceeds, depending on the items, go to either Bene Esse, in order to sustain the $20 an hour rate for life coaching, or towards the restoration of the opera house.”

Barb Nickerson’s practice is one that focuses on mental health and the well being of the community, something that she also hopes will be accomplished through the project.

“Trevor and I genuinely are community-minded and -committed,” Barb Nickerson said. “I have examined the county-wide reports associated with mental hygiene, both accessibility to — the county is a designated Mental Health Care Health Professional Shortage Area –, and the barriers to help-seeking — primary barriers have been identified as affordability and accessibility, followed by fear of stigmatization. As a doctoral candidate, I have found support for the appropriateness and effectiveness of life coaching for populations such as those on long wait lists, those in recovery, and/or as a component of a holistic comprehensive treatment plan. That said, Bene Esse does share the office with a fantastic Marriage and Family Therapist, for those seeking therapy, as well.”

While Barb Nickerson’s life coaching practice and the other three businesses in the building are serving to help bring people back to the area, the Nickersons said they hoped that restoring the theater and apartments will also help to increase this.

The store front of Bene Esse, one of the four businesses in the Swetland Opera House Building and owned by Barb Nickerson. Nickerson and her husabd bought the building and are working on restoring it. Submitted photo

“We hope that this project will facilitate the interest in the village of Mayville,” Trevor Nickerson said. “We hope to create a space that is interesting for people to see. We hope to bring back the history so it doesn’t get lost. We ultimately would like to create a destination spot for both the building and the village of Mayville.”

The couple is also looking to get the building on the national historic registry to be able to get access to grants.

For Barb Nickerson, restoring the building gives hope for Mayville’s future.

“The restoration of the opera house not only preserves a piece of history, it breathes more life into the community,” Barb Nickerson said. “The current operating ground-level businesses, including Bene Esse, Quintessential, Mayberry Jungle, and Handcrafted from the Heart, are creating much-needed traffic to the village, as have neighboring businesses like Music for Your Mouth and Uptown Mall. I love the vision of people lining up to go to an event at the theater after having done some local shopping, eaten a great meal, and then completing their outing with a good cigar or nightcap; the following morning, grabbing a great cup of coffee and breakfast, and relaxing with a good book before heading to the lake.”

The retail section at the front of Bene Esse. All profits go towards either Bene Esse or the Swetland Opera House Block Project. Submitted photo