The Ironton branch of Edward Jones Investments has a new office space for the New Year.

At a recent open house, guests came into see the newly rehabilitated office at the corner of Center and South Third streets. The office used to be on Fourth Street. The move came after the hiring of Deanna Patrick as a financial advisor.

“We were ecstatic to have been able to hire a great financial advisor in Deanna,” said Asa Jewett, general partner and regional leader for Edward Jones, who’s in charge of offices in southern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. “Ironton had been a wonderful community for Edward Jones. It’s a great building that Deanna found for us.”

“That was the tipping point,” he said of Patrick’s hire. “When we feel confident, especially with a great financial advisor and we have the ability to make an improvement with the communities we are partnered with, that is what we want to do. Ironton has been great, a wonderful community.”

The location was chosen for its central location and access to good parking.

“Our hope is that this can be a tipping point, that people will invest more and put more businesses back in downtown,” Jewett said, adding that they have a similar emphasis in Portsmouth. “And if we can help a community like Ironton drive in that direction, we are really excited to help.”

Patrick, who declined to be interviewed and referred questions to Jewett, was instrumental in the design and decoration of the newly created office space.

Ralph Kelley is quite familiar with the building. He ran Kelley Meds out of the same building for years, first as a pharmacy, Kelley Med Care before selling it. It was a loan office and shoe store before he opened a medical supply business. He later sold that business.

He found it interesting that the newly redecorated building seemed to have more room as office space than it did as a pharmacy.

“I can’t believe it has this much space, it didn’t seem to before,” he said. “It’s much prettier, more beautiful. It’s much more alive than when it was a pharmacy. I’m happy to it. Hopefully, it will bring Edward Jones a lot of business.”

Jewett said the company was very excited to partner with Kelley to invest in rehabilitating a beautiful building in downtown Ironton.

“He’s been a great partner to us,” he said, adding that it’s Edward Jones’ philosophy to get ingrained into the communities they serve. “His partnership really sealed the deal.”