Old buildings can breathe new purpose into a community.

When Stacy, Jared, Carey and Shelly purchased the old Admire school building in 2026, they didn’t just see an aging building. They saw an opportunity to give a piece of the community’s history a second life.

The building has already had several lives. It once served as a school for the community and later housed city offices. Today, parts of the old school have been transformed into spaces for gathering, celebrating, creating and supporting local businesses.

The country store is open each morning, offering juice and donuts for kids at the nearby bus stop, along with products from people in the surrounding area. Local honey is sold in 15 different infused flavors. There are prom and homecoming dress rentals, consignment opportunities, and a massage business located in what was once the counseling office. There’s even a bar located in what was once a kindergarten classroom.

The original gym now hosts birthday parties, family events and other gatherings. The original kitchen has been licensed for food service and can be rented by community members who need a commercial kitchen. The building has already hosted weddings, class reunions, benefits, coffee mornings, teen nights, karaoke, live music and other community events.

And they aren’t done yet. Future plans include do-it-yourself classes, paint-and-sip events, quilting, volleyball, a haunted house and other community activities.

But for the owners, giving the old Admire school a second life is about more than finding new uses for old rooms. It’s about preserving the history of the building and keeping the community connected to it.

The connection to Admire Grade School is personal. Justin, Jared and Stacy all attended school in this very building, just as their father and grandfather did before them. Their family’s connection to the community goes back even further. Their great-great-grandfather, Joseph Ogleby, homesteaded in the area and donated land that helped establish the town of Admire.

The North Lyon County Museum is also located within the building, giving the family another opportunity to preserve and share the history they care so deeply about. They hope the building can become a place where future generations can learn about Admire—not just by reading about its history, but by walking through the very building where so much of that history took place. They would love to see school field trips come through the doors someday, giving students the chance to experience the building, learn about the community and understand why this place means so much to the families who have called Admire home.

Today, kids run through the same hallways where generations of students once walked. Stacy still finds herself telling her kids, “Don’t run in the hallway!” And her kids are quick to remind her, “Mom, it’s not a real school!”

Maybe that’s the perfect example of how much this building has changed.

The building changed. The purpose changed. But the community found a way to keep the building alive.

Sometimes giving a building a second life doesn’t mean forgetting what it was. It means finding a new way to carry its history forward.

A huge thank you to Ogle-Bee Country Store and Flint Hills Event Center for their hospitality!!