Dr. Greg Luke and his staff at Luke Chiropractic & Wellness were riding a wave of excitement a year ago -- remodeling, repainting and redecorating -- to create a space for healing.
The office reflects its owners with warm, cheerful colors, a collection of rocks and myriad antiques scattered about. Many, like an 80-year-old adjustment table, are functional. Others, like the fossilized dinosaur teeth, are curios for discussion.
"Doing something new has kept me on my toes," said Luke, a chiropractor for more than 20 years. "It's sort of like jumping into the stream of life again."
It's exhausting, said his wife and office manager, Patti, "But it's been great creating something."
Luke left a 13-year partnership with Lake Superior Chiropractic to build his own business. They found a perfect fit at the Trade and Commerce Building, which is home to a vibrant collection of artists.
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"It bridges between artists and the healing arts," Patti Luke said of the office. "It's a connection to the art of healing."
Located in a central site, right behind the "Police Headquarters" door on Hammond Avenue, the chiropractor's office also bridges the two sides of the building.
"We couldn't have picked better neighbors," said artist Tami Edmunds, who owns the studio/shop Art in the Alley with her husband, Dan. "The positive energy; they're kind, genuine, gracious."
"They plunked themselves right in the middle," said potter Dan Edmunds, and provide yet another reason for people to stop by the historic building.
The chiropractor and his wife have embraced their new neighbors. Paintings with warm southwestern tones dot the office, courtesy of Terry Millikan, whose art studio is above the office.
"They're wonderful," Millikan said of the couple. "They've brought so many people into my life."
Her nature and landscape paintings fit the new business' image and its owners.
"It lacks the officialness of office spaces," Millikan said. "It's more hands-on, friendly, accessible. It suits them. They're very informal and loving people."
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If someone drops by the chiropractic office on a Wednesday morning, Patti and Greg Luke are quick to point them down the hall to Sustenance Artisan Breads for bagels, a treat owner Dale Karsky only offers Wednesday and Saturday.
The couple will take time to lead visitors to Art in the Alley or usher them upstairs at Millikan's studio door.
"Everybody in the building works together," Karsky said, something Greg and Patti Luke have taken to heart.
"It's so great to be here," Patti Luke said. The chiropractic office at 916 Hammond Ave., is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Tuesday is their paper day, but they are available for emergencies.
Call (715) 392-2476 or visit www.lukechiropracticandwellness.com .
