Bodega Omega

This old girl has seen better days, that’s for sure.

There is a unique air of eroded elegance in this modular, different from my previous builds: decades upon decades of brick discoloration, unaddressed water damages that don’t yet give warrant to a health emergency, original cast-iron architecture covered with a never-ending caking of bird droppings and rust splatter, and a sense of misplaced pride left over from a bygone era.

Built by a spry young proprietor during the McKinley Administration, this turn-of-the-century American brick-and-mortar has had a long, illustrious history in the neighborhood. Each tenant that has set up shop in its two floors over the last 120 years has left its mark.

The first floor of this multicolored, heavily-loved structure houses Bodega Omega, a Puerto-Rican owned grocery store that has been serving the community for several decades. Should you be in need for a precise shave and haircut, ascend up the exterior staircase to the upper floor and you’ll find an old-timer’s paradise: Rayford’s Barbershop.

This modular features removable storefronts that allow unobstructed views of both floors’ interiors from the front. It also incorporates an alleyway and some urban greenery hidden under the exterior staircase. The exterior is inspired by the Jeraud Building in Vandalia, Illinois, a city of some 7,400 people situated on the Kaskaskia River.

This build incorporates custom stickers that need to be printed. The sticker sheet is provided in the PDF instructions. Let me know if you have any questions with this build or improvement tips.