Photos by Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times

The Paw Wash’s owner, Jennifer Thakurwani (left), and Gayla Cooper comb a dog’s fur in preparation for a bath.

Patti Siehien (above) bought the former electric company building last fall. She converted the space into a cafe, art gallery, pet gift shop and pet grooming business.

BEDFORD -- An abandoned municipal utility building's transformation into a cafe, art gallery, pet boutique and dog grooming business has given Centertown Bedford what some say is the ambience of a metropolitan city.

"You feel like you are not in Bedford," said Mayor Willard "Skip" Tharp while visiting the Artisan Cafe for lunch Tuesday. "It's like Chicago or New York or San Francisco. It is such an addition to our downtown."

Patti Siehien, a Bedford artist and real estate agent, and Al Deweese, a home improvement contractor, opened the cafe last week in the 1880s-era brick warehouse that used to house the city's electric company.

Open weekdays for lunch, the cafe is proving to be quite a success. An overflow of patrons who waited for seats during the lunch rush Tuesday hung out on a retro orange sofa in the lobby or browsed the Art on Depo gallery's offerings.

Cristina Aviles of Bedford displays her artwork in the gallery. She stopped in for lunch Tuesday, but opted to shop in the gallery when she could not find a seat in the cafe.

"It is so crowded," Aviles said. "I am so happy, I am coming back tomorrow."

The cafe seats 20 and the lunch crowd averages approximately 40, Siehien said.

"There are a lot of businesspeople, lawyers from the courthouse," she said. "I am also getting little groups of ladies."

Sam Mizener of Evington made his second trip to the cafe in as many weeks. This time he brought his wife and another couple.

"The food -- it's like home cooking," he said.

Siehien prepares the soups, side dishes and desserts daily. Her brother, Michael Siehien, owner of the Bedford Social Club, helped with the cafe's menu. The salads and sandwiches bear the names of renowned artists, such as the Degas Chef Salad and the Van Gogh Panini.

Last week, Mizener took a bowl of Siehien's Italian soup home to his wife. Tuesday, he brought her back to check out the art, which includes everything from earrings and purses to pottery and paintings.

The majority of the art is crafted by artists from Bedford and Bedford County, Siehien said.

Deweese said that among the four businesses, there really is something for everyone, including four-legged friends.

Pawcasso, the pet boutique owned by Siehien's daughter, Jessica Gillum, offers products for pampered pets.

"This is where you don't really feel like you are in Bedford," Siehien said.

A rack of doggy duds bearing everything from rhinestones to Virginia Tech logos hangs among fancy leashes and collars for Fido and Fluffy. Gillum even sells pooch perfume in the knock-off scents Timmy Holedigger and White Dalmations.

The first business, a dog grooming service, opened in the building in December.

"There was not one in Bedford," said Jennifer Thakurwani, owner of The Paw Wash. "I saw the opportunity."

Siehien's eyes have been searching for opportunities too.

She approached city council two years ago with a vision for the cafe and art gallery, she just needed "an old cool building."

When the electric company relocated to Monroe Street, she said its former site, the 19th-century brick building on East Depot Street, was the place for her.

In late August, city council accepted her $150,000 bid for the property after advertising for proposals.

Appropriately, Siehien named the building The Electric Co. She used mementos such as meters, signage and lettering left behind to decorate the cafe.

"A lot of people want to get rid of history," Deweese said. "This was an important part of the development of Bedford."

In each finished room, Siehien placed a framed photograph of the space pre-renovation.

The building "means a lot to the people who worked here," Deweese said.

Thirteen weeks of intense renovations did more than just replace the peeling layer of mint green paint.

Siehien said the electric department employees who have visited are amazed by the change, especially the orange bathroom.

In Siehien's mind, the building has become a destination. She envisions attracting some of the 75,000 annual visitors to the National D-Day Memorial.

"We have to have something to bring them downtown," she said.

Siehien and Deweese's next project is renovating The Electric Co.'s lower level into a 120-seat restaurant and sports bar called Kilowatts.

"Picture this place painted out, a marble-top bar running the length of the building with four big screens for viewing," Deweese said.

It will be a place where you can grab a beer, watch the game or bring the family for dinner, he said. He also is considering a game room with billiards tables, darts and pinball machines.

The duo plan to delve into remodeling for Kilowatts as quickly as possible.

"Last week we were back there [behind the counter] taking orders," Siehien said.

Once the cafe is running smoothly, she said she wants to return to her first love: pottery. She will occupy one of the eight studio spaces Deweese is renovating in a space behind Pawcasso.

Siehien also teaches pottery at Central Virginia Community College and serves on the boards of the Bedford Council for the Arts and Bedford Main Street.

"I want to be back there creating," she said.