All it takes is a couple of visionaries to invoke change and Dani Blain Real Estate happens to have two agents on our team who are doing just that. Our agents, Blake Shawn and Jacob Fraga are on a mission to transform downtown Tulare one building at a time. While some of us are passing the time in our new pandemic lives to learn how to make bread or raise a new puppy, Blake and Jacob (or Blacob, as we affectionately call them ?) have used the past four months, while selling real estate full-time, to launch a new project and make their dreams a reality – and we could not be more proud of what they are doing for our community.
Blake Shawn and Jacob Fraga at their new co-working building 
Jenifer Oliphant and Dani Blain enjoying coffee in the event area of The DowntownDream
As Tulare locals, these two have always wanted to see downtown become a desirable location for new businesses and the community to connect. With their first project, The Downtown Dream – they have officially gotten the ball rolling on this vision. They purchased a vacant building on the corner of L and Kern that will be home to Tulare’s first co-working space and they will use the enormous parking lot (that used to be the old greyhound station) for an outdoor event space.
With so many changes to the office space landscape as we all knew it, Blake and Jacob think (and lots of experts agree) that the new era of telecommuting/working from home is not something that will disappear once the coronavirus is curbed. With the pandemic literally upending every industry and forcing companies to figure out new telecommuting policies, now more than ever, we have a workforce who has the flexibility to work from anywhere. For some that means home, for others it means a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi – and soon, for central valley residents, it could mean The Downtown Dream.
The Downtown Dream is the perfect place to get into the zone… with ambiance in spades and work space options for every type of telecommuter; from creatives and entrepreneurs to students needing study group space, they have got you covered. Blake and Jacob, along with wives Mia Shawn and Miranda Fraga, have thought of everything and taken the Old Lewis Insurance Building and transformed it into an incredibly hip and “good vibes only” space. The coolest part? For less than the price of a Cold Brew a day, you can call it your home office! The Downtown Dream has many membership pricing options available to fit your needs and even has a photography studio with professional lighting and backdrops.
Blake and Jacob’s ‘Downtown Dream’ is poised to be the start of something truly great in downtown Tulare. It’s not just about the co-working space, or only about planning community oriented events in their outdoor space, The Downtown Dream – it’s much bigger than that. They hope to be the proverbial pebble that creates the ripple effect of many new businesses who join them in their goal of creating a better community. The duo said they know they can’t do it alone… “it’s going to take a village to get downtown revitalized.”
We encourage everyone to check out this incredible space while joining them for a fun-filled day at their Grand Opening on Saturday, October 10th from 5-8pm. In addition to a DJ-hosted celebration, they have everyone’s favorite food trucks lined up including Tacos San Marcos, Que Concha, Quesadilla Gorilla and many others planned. There will be some great specials running for people who are interested in monthly memberships or for event space. This event will be a way to celebrate the opening of this exciting new business, but also to kick-off the beginning of the revitalization of downtown Tulare.
When we asked “Blacob” what else they wished our readers could know about their new venture, they wanted everyone to know how thankful they were to work for “a brokerage that supports [their] vision to expand – a brokerage that thinks of community over sales.” This is foundational at Dani Blain Real Estate, growing a community for people to love living in and to feel connected. We feel equally grateful to have Blake and Jacob on our team and truly applaud them for taking this leap. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for Downtown Tulare! We are sure these two are going to continue to do great things, one building at a time.
Be sure to keep up with all of the great things The Downtown Dream will be planning in their outdoor event space by following their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as their website. You can also read more about the Pre-Grand Opening event they hosted in September and additional specifics about the project in this article in the Sun Gazette.