When most people think about preserving a historic building, they picture bricks, windows, and restoring architectural details.
For Nannette Chandler, preservation is also about preserving opportunity.
Inside the beautifully restored building at 921 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, a new vision is taking shape: a collaborative wellness center where independent practitioners can grow their businesses together under one roof.
The idea was born after partnering with current tenant Jade Fricks, owner of Total Wellness, a functional medicine clinic that takes a root-cause approach to healthcare.
“One of the things I’ve always wanted to do in Pensacola is expand the different wellness opportunities that are available,” Chandler said. “But do it in a way that creates small business opportunities.”
Rather than one large business occupying the building, Chandler envisions multiple independent practitioners sharing the space while maintaining their own businesses.
Imagine walking into one building where you can see your functional medicine provider, schedule acupuncture, meet with a massage therapist, work with a yoga instructor, book an esthetician, or connect with other wellness professionals all in one place.
For Fricks, that’s exactly what modern healthcare should look like.
She explains that functional medicine focuses on identifying the root cause of illness rather than simply treating symptoms. That often means collaborating with other practitioners.
“If someone needs EMDR therapy, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, movement work like yoga or Pilates, or hormone and metabolic support, having those services under one roof creates an incredible experience for patients,” Fricks said.
Instead of patients trying to navigate multiple providers across town, the goal is to create one collaborative wellness community.
Chandler says the vision also removes many of the barriers that prevent talented practitioners from opening their own businesses.
“Everyone has their own space to excel without taking on the entire overhead of a building,” she said. “It’s an incubator of sorts.”
The restored building already includes multiple private suites, shared amenities, and common gathering areas designed to encourage collaboration rather than competition.
While the concept naturally fits healthcare and wellness professionals, Chandler says she’s looking for people who believe in building something bigger than themselves.
“This isn’t just about leasing offices,” she said. “It’s about creating a community where businesses support one another.”
As part of Chandler Construction & Preservation’s ongoing mission to breathe new life into historic properties throughout Pensacola, the project represents another example of how preservation can strengthen not only buildings, but the local business community as well.
Are you a wellness professional?
Chandler is currently looking to connect with:
- Functional medicine providers
- Massage therapists
- Yoga and Pilates instructors
- Acupuncturists
- Mental health professionals
- Estheticians
- Holistic practitioners
- Health coaches
- Nutrition professionals
- Other complementary wellness businesses interested in collaborating under one roof
If you’re interested in learning more about joining the wellness collective at 921 MLK, you can submit your information here.
