LISC Gave the Scremins and other Pioneers in the District a Voice

Luch and Kara Scremin didn’t need LISC to ignite their vision. They needed a voice. 

Long before they met LISC Jacksonville staff members, the couple had been fighting tough battles in their efforts to transform aging warehouse space in Jacksonville’s blighted railroad corridor. LISC added the technical expertise and organization the Scremins and other early pioneers in the district needed to be heard. 

“LISC helped us organize, set goals and develop a plan for the community,” said Luch Scremin, one of the founders of Engine 15’s Downtown Tap Room and Biergarten. “These were game-changers.” 

In 2013, the Scremins were among the first to see the adaptive reuse possibilities in the industrial area west of Downtown. Once a hub of logistics commerce, the area had been long neglected and decaying. They spent two years working with officials on zoning and code issues before finally seeing their vision come to reality in 2015. 

During that time a handful of others faced similar challenges in bringing an eclectic group of new businesses to the district. Their efforts caught LISC’s attention in early 2017. 

LISC staff and consultants brought technical expertise as well as grant funding that helped transform the community’s various enterprises into a unified entity that they branded The Rail Yard District, said James Coggin, program officer with LISC Jacksonville. 

LISC’s support to the district included help with stakeholder and infrastructure research, organizing community meetings and forums, incorporating a new business council and securing grants to help promote the community’s sense of place. 

“It’s still at an embryonic stage,” Kara Scremin said. “But we’re using the lesson we learned early on and what LISC gave us to make it easier for others to consider coming into this area.” 

Kara and Luch Scremin own The Glass Factory.

The Glass Factory hosts events from weddings to corporate meetings and shows.