FERRIDAY, La. – Now that the former Serio’s Grocery has been bought and renovations have begun, Mardy’s Contracting should move into the facility in two months, according to a local economic development official.

The Ferriday-based Macon Ridge Economic Development Region bought the building Wednesday for $50,000 and will make the renovations using its own contracting company and volunteer and prisoner labor.

&uot;We’re doing roof repairs as we speak,&uot; Macon Ridge President Buddy Spillers said Friday.

Mardy’s Contracting received a $124,000 state grant and $15,000 grant from Entergy to make necessary renovations to the Serio Building.

Those renovations will also include replacing the building’s heating and air conditioning system and painting and carpentry work, Spillers said. Mardy’s is now located in a 2,560-square-foot building on Louisiana Avenue.

The Serio Building, located on First Street across from the new Ferriday post office, has about twice that space.

Mardy’s co-owner Judy Cooper has said that &uot;it’s so crowded in (our current facility) now that we have hardly any elbow room.&uot;

But with the new grants, Mardy’s will have the space to buy 10 new machines, McGlothin said, and Cooper added that the company hopes to hire at least 10 new employees as well.

Mardy’s Contracting now has 17 employees.

In the past, Cooper has estimated that the company could make 4,800 pieces of clothing a week in the larger building, compared with the 500 pieces it now produces in an average week.

Mardy’s expansion will give the area a needed economic boost, Spillers said.

As of September — the most recent month for which figures are available — Concordia Parish had an unemployment rate of 9 percent, which tied with Red River Parish as the state’s sixth-highest jobless rate.