Windermere's new digs a 'fun place' to work

Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald Barry Lawson and Heather Adkinson, co-owners of Windermere Real Estate in Moses Lake, in the lobby of their new location at the corner of Third Avenue and Division Street.

by Charles H. Featherstone Staff Writer
| November 21, 2018 2:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — The folks at Windermere Real Estate in Moses Lake had their eyes on the corner of Third Avenue and Division Street for quite some time.

And they’ve been searching for a new home for even longer.

“We’ve been looking for years and years and years,” said Heather Adkinson, one of the co-owners of the Moses Lake Windermere.

It’s quite a change, smack in the middle of downtown, from their former digs down the peninsula on West Broadway, near the exit to and from I-90.

“We heard a lot of comments — where are you located?” said Barry Lawson, another Moses Lake Windermere co-owner. “The office was there for 18-20 years. And now I feel like everybody’s going to know where we are.”

Lawson said the company’s relocation to downtown follows a trend across the country of real estate agents moving back to city centers,

“Before, we were out of town, and we felt like we were out of town,” he said. “We wanted to be closer to downtown... It’s friendlier for our clients, it’s funner for our agents.”

“It allows us to be much more involved in downtown activities,” Adkinson added.

Windermere’s realtors are already heavily involved in the community — agents sponsored a recent public Thanksgiving meal, Adkinson and Lawson will help direct the Ag Parade, and the company will donate food and clothing to help needy families this Christmas. But being downtown makes them more visible.

“We intend to do more stuff and be more visible,” Adkinson said.

Windermere bought the building in August 2017, and quickly invested about $150,000 remodeling it, completely gutting the insides and creating a space that is both “comfortable and homey” and still is “industrial professional” with its exposed ductwork, cubicle offices with sliding glass doors, comfy chairs and kitchen nook.

“It’s a living room concept,” Adkinson said.

The move, however, prompts a question about parking — for employees and for clients. Downtown is already a pretty crowded place, and adding a major business like Windermere will likely make it busier.

“We have 20 realtors in the office, but they’re not ever here at one time,” Adkinson said. “The parking hasn’t been as big of an issue as people were making it out to be.”

Excited about their move, Windermere’s owners hope their move demonstrates their confidence in downtown Moses Lake as a place to do business, and hope it motivates others to give downtown a serious look.

“There are more volunteer opportunities here, more ways to be involved,” Adkinson said. “We’re going to have so much fun here. We already have.”