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The odds were against her, but Kim Malek wanted to open her new ice cream shop in time to catch some of the summer rush.

Malek believed the growing arts district on Northeast Alberta Street would be the perfect home base for , which offers unique, locally sourced ice cream. But a remodel of the Acme Glass Building on Northeast Alberta at 21st Avenue would not be done until the end of summer.

So while one general contractor handled the overall remodel of the building, Malek hired her own crew to finish her space quicker. But that solution stacked a whole new set of odds against Malek and her project team.

鈥淭he project was fraught with inherent challenges,鈥� project manager Kevin Guinn said.

Crews working for the developer, 21 Alberta LLC, were still gutting and remodeling the rest of the Acme Glass Building, and Malek sought a four-week turnaround from Hammer and Hand.

The Salt and Straw shop accounts for only about one-fourth of the ground-floor retail space. Normally, the major renovation would be finished first, and then individual tenants could add finishes. But because of the timing involved, the Hammer and Hand team worked in an unsecured Salt and Straw space for most of the project.

During construction, Malek was down the street selling her ice cream out of a custom-built cart. Nate Celko, the developer behind the Acme Glass Building, let the Salt and Straw cart park on the patio of another of his properties 鈥� the Alberta Central complex between 17th and 18th avenues. Although Malek said the interim cart setup was a 鈥渂lessing in disguise,鈥� her eye was still on the Acme Glass Building.

鈥淚t’s easy to imagine two teams of construction folks in there, pointing fingers about who’s there at what time, and on top of that I was insisting on this unreasonable timeline,鈥� Malek said.

But lead carpenter Stephanie Lynch worked closely with the 21 Alberta LLC crew and Celko to coordinate work schedules. Hammer and Hand ended up building the demising wall to prepare for finishes.

鈥淐ommunication with the developer was important every single day,鈥� Lynch said. 鈥淲e both had our agendas and we just had to do our best to take care of each other and make it all flow smoothly.鈥�

The finishes that Hammer and Hand rushed to install were not run-of-the-mill. Malek wanted Salt and Straw to feel 鈥渁s if it had been there forever,鈥� so the shop includes wood from the bleachers of Lewis and Clark College’s original athletic stadium, salvaged Multnomah County Library shelving, and materials from a 100-year-old barn and a deconstructed high school.

Salt and Straw’s early debut in the Acme Glass Building, on Aug. 12, paid off.

鈥�(August) 13th is still our record day 鈥� the line was all the way down the street,鈥� Malek said. 鈥淚t was the best marketing anyone could ask for. I owe a lot to everyone.鈥�

The overall building renovation is nearly completed and will result in the availability of about 5,000 square feet of retail and creative office space. Another mixed-use project is planned for the adjacent property, and retailers have already expressed interest in leases even though construction will not begin until November, according to broker Kathleen Healy.

鈥淚t’s really unusual to get offers at this point in the process,鈥� she said.

Healy is managing the retail space on the ground floors of both the Acme Glass Building and the adjacent 20:20 property, which is expected to be completed in summer 2012. Interest is continuing to grow for spaces in both buildings, she said.

Benco is negotiating a lease with a widely known Portland chef who wants to open a restaurant in the space next to Salt and Straw. Healy declined to identify the chef, because a deal hasn’t been finalized. Also, a business that sells medical-related items may reserve retail space in the 20:20 before ground is even broken for the building.

鈥淚’m over the moon,鈥� Malek said. 鈥淢y business depends on foot traffic and a thriving community. I’ve heard hints about pretty amazing tenants negotiating leases, and this could really become a destination for Portlanders to come out for the night.鈥�