The old general store in Bieber gets painted for it's new life.
Copyright 2006, Big Valley News
For the past 2 years or so, Bieber residents driving on Bridge Street have noticed that the old mercantile building on the South side of the street has had slow but steady work done on it. A few days ago, the last of it's old identity of a retail store vanished as the outside signs "appliance, paints" got painted over.
Marlene Clarke, a Christian lady, has invested much time and money into converting the old store into a residence for unwed mothers.
The old store has been improved by extensive interior decoration, by repair of the roof, a new paint job and the addition of landscaping outside.
Marlene Clarke is undertaking the renovation of the old store as a private project with the aim being to establish a Christian home for unwed mothers. Ms. Clarke is doing this by herself without being connected to any organization or church. She is a previous resident of Ventura who discovered Bieber about 4 years ago and fell in love with the town.
It is nice to see a beautiful building on Bieber's main street not stand vacant and be maintained so nicely. Extensive improvements have also been made inside the building, but they are still in progress. No date for finalization is set. Ms. Clarke is proceeding at her own pace and is hiring local adults and youngsters to do the work.
The friendly outside front porch.
One of the bedrooms inside.
