In 2012, a modest corner store in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood was threatened with demolition. Though the shop, built in the 1930s, had seen better days, a group of neighbors believed that it could be restored in a way that would enhance the character of the community.

“They didn’t want to see it get knocked down and replaced with townhomes that didn’t fit in with the block,” says Colin Scanlon, a Ballard resident and founding partner of general contracting firm HUUS Construct.

After the neighbors successfully purchased the property, they approached architect Thomas Kayser and then HUUS to craft a plan to turn it into a residential duplex. Having just started their own firm, the guys at HUUS were up to the challenge, and made the Dibble Duplex (so named after its street address) their first big project.

Ballard is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Its streets, lined with single-story houses and punctuated with corner shops, retain a distinct turn-of-the-century feel. Situated next to Shilshole Bay, it is the historic home of Seattle’s Scandinavian community which worked in the salmon-fishing industry.

Founded as an independent town in 1890, Ballard was incorporated into the city of Seattle in 1907. Since then, residents have actively labored to protect their community from developments and designs that clash with the local character.

For HUUS, says Scanlon, the fun lay in the challenge of recreating the store’s original look while adding modern amenities. Ultimately, it required rebuilding almost the entire structure and finding a distinct set of bricks to recreate the exterior, which led HUUS on a search that led to Gavin Historic Bricks.

Photos from Seattle’s public records showed that the corner store’s bricks had originally been unpainted and had later been covered in other materials. “The owners knew they needed a very particular kind of brick to return the shop to its roots,” Scanlon says. And on that demand, Gavin exceeded their expectations.

The finished product: clad with pavers and with the original corner entrance restored.

The HUUS team reviewed ten brick samples with the owners and settled on the perfect match: Midwestern street pavers reclaimed from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The owners had been open to using new bricks, but Gavin proved to them with amplitude that vintage bricks top materials that merely look old.

Despite the nearly two thousand miles between Seattle and Gavin’s Iowa HQ, the two truckloads of pavers shipped and arrived in sound condition. They had so many left over, in fact, that they were able to create a backyard wall in the rear of the property.

The rehabbed building also boasts new floors, efficient interior spaces, new mechanical systems and metal-framed windows. Both units of the duplex have been rented out, and, judging from the warm response from neighbors, it’s safe to say that the owners have gotten a solid return on their investment.

For Colin Scanlon of HUUS, the reason for recommending Gavin among the many brick suppliers is simple: what you see is exactly what you get.

“As a contractor, you always have the fear that the bulk product won’t live up to the sample, and [John and Mike put all fears to rest,” he says. “Their bricks were spot-on what we asked for. They made the duplex into a neighborhood asset and everyone here loves it.”