A change is coming to the Hooven Mercantile building in Jim Thorpe.

After 31 years of occupying the first floor of the building at 41 Susquehanna St., the Everything Nice gift shop will be vacating the space for what property owner Matthew Rechs recently called a "landmark tenant."Rechs announced the change on Hooven's Facebook page and at Thursday's Jim Thorpe Borough Council meeting."We can't announce who it is yet, but I can say they will be opening in the spring," said Rechs, director of business affairs for a New York City technology company."Our goal from the beginning has been to preserve the Hooven building so that it can be enjoyed by locals and visitors to the town."While not speaking in great detail Thursday about the changes, Rechs did say he would update the Times News later this week.Comments on Hooven's Facebook page have been supportive of Elizabeth Beers, owner of the Everything Nice shop.Many posters lauded the work Beers has done since taking over for her mother, Judith Neeb, who passed away in December. Some have urged Rechs to keep the shop on another floor within the building."We are in negotiations to move to the second floor, but right now we have to find out if that is going to be cost effective for us," Beers said. "If it doesn't work out, we are looking around Jim Thorpe because we love this town and it is where we want to be."The Hooven page responded to some of the Facebook comments with the following;"Our goal from the beginning was to preserve and protect the Hooven building, and at the same time do right by Everything Nice and the Neebs at every turn. We're continuing to work with Beth on that. Please be patient while we sort all this out."The shop holds special memories for Beers, who was 12 years old when her mother started it."I've helped out since I was a little girl," she said. "I loved it so much that when my mom got sick, I left a job with a Fortune 500 company six years ago to help continue the shop."Beers said she made it clear to Rechs that when her mother passed away, she would be there to run the shop.It made the news all that more shocking Thursday, when the business was given 60 days to vacate the space."We were floored," Beers said. "There was no indication this would be happening. Matt has done great things to the building since taking it over, I just hope there is a still a spot there for a mom and pop shop."The second-floor of the building housed the Old Mauch Chunk Model Train Display, operated by Michael Heery of Lehighton until November 2012.Two upper levels have been vacant, and previously without heat, since around the 1930s.In September, Rechs left the door open for their future uses."Options include office space, retail opportunities, a restaurant or even an art gallery," he said. "There are lots of options for us. With the right tenant, we feel this is an amazing opportunity."Rechs and his partners at Hooven Hall LLC purchased the 132-year-old building from David L. Kuhn in July for $225,000.Shortly after, he announced his intentions to invest at least a half-million dollars to develop the location."Since we purchased it, we've put around $100,000 into the building already with 34 new windows, a new roof and a new heating system," Rechs said.Rechs transformed a former ticket office just inside the building's entrance into an art gallery featuring works of three local artists; Victor Stabin, Emerson Freese and Stephanie Verme.He also has his eye on the abandoned Gulf station next to the Hooven building."To have that space vacant is increasingly damaging on the town," he said. "We'd love to make a project out of that."