COLUMBUS, OHIO — Home furnishings retailer American Signature Inc. (ASI) has filed for Chapter 11 relief in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Founded in 1948, Columbus-based ASI is the parent company to Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture, which operate more than 120 stores across 17 states. ASI expects to enter into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement under which, subject to court approval, ASI Purchaser LLC will acquire substantially all of the company’s assets and assume certain related liabilities. As part of the proceedings, the company also plans to lay off roughly 326 employees and close its Columbus headquarters. Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture stores and websites are expected to remain open and will continue to fulfill customer orders and provide ongoing customer service throughout the court-supervised process. Prior to the Chapter 11 filing, certain Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture stores commenced store closing sales and are offering deep discounts while merchandise lasts. ASI has secured approximately $50 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Second Avenue Capital Partners LLC. Subject to court approval, this financing will support certain operations and the company’s efforts to maximize value through the Chapter 11 cases …
ELMWOOD PARK, ILL. — Greenstone Partners has brokered the $5.2 million sale of Elmwood Commons, a 16,840-square-foot retail center in the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park. The property sold to an institutional investor for the full list price. Developed in 1991, the multi-tenant center has maintained near full occupancy since its construction and features a weighted average lease tenure of 15.6 years. Longstanding tenants include FedEx Office, which has occupied its space for 34 years, Wingstop (24 years), Jimmy John’s (19 years), Betty’s (12 years) and Happy Wok (11 years). Brewster Hague of Greenstone represented the seller and procured the buyer.
TEMPLE TERRACE, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has negotiated the $10.5 million sale of Fountain Shoppes, a retail center in Temple Terrace totaling 18,110 square feet. Built in 2022, the four-building property is located on a 2.6-acre site at 8942 Bertha Palmer Blvd. Fountain Shoppes was fully leased at the time of sale to seven tenants, including Starbucks Coffee, Jersey Mike’s, Rocking Crab, The Joint Chiropractic, Hand & Stone, AT&T and Chase Bank. Patrick Nutt and William Wamble of SRS represented the seller, a Florida-based investor and developer, in the transaction. The buyer was a Florida-based private investor. Both parties requested anonymity.
BEL AIR, MD. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged $3.9 million in acquisition financing for The Shoppes at James Run, a 13,189-square-foot retail property located in Bel Air, approximately 25 miles northeast of Baltimore. Jared Cassidy of MMCC secured the 7-year loan on behalf of a private client. The loan features a 5.64 percent interest rate and a 25-year amortization schedule. The Shoppes at James Run features a mix of tenants including Starbucks Coffee, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, a café and an urgent care office.
NEW BEDFORD, MASS. — CBRE has brokered the $12.2 million sale of Fieldstone Marketplace, a 192,003-square-foot shopping center in New Bedford, located at the base of Cape Cod. Restaurant Depot and discount retailer Ollie’s anchor the newly repositioned center. Nat Heald, Connor Scott and Jordana Roet of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction and procured the buyer. Both parties requested anonymity.
“If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.” Martin Scorsese, Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z probably weren’t thinking about brick-and-mortar retail real estate when they penned and recorded the iconic song lyric, but that doesn’t make the expression any less applicable to that particular subject. The notion of merchandisers, restaurateurs and entertainment operators needing a certain and precise combination of savvy, moxie and pizzazz to succeed in New York City isn’t so much new as it is resurrected. That’s because it’s only been a few years since the asset class was left for dead. But retail resiliency is now an established and proven narrative that underpins commercial real estate investment. “Brick-and-mortar retail is truly here to stay,” proclaims Beth Rosen, executive vice president at RIPCO Real Estate. “Over the years, retailers have gotten so much more savvy and are now entering into smarter deals. There’s a lot of positive sentiment about the sector, which has seen its share of ups and downs. Rents got really out of control at one point, and if the economy wasn’t strong, retailers didn’t survive. But now, it’s really more about partnerships between tenants and landlords.” Limited Options That said, owners …
WEATHERFORD, TEXAS — STRIVE has arranged the sale of Peaster Plaza, a 5,940-square-foot retail strip center located in the southern Dallas suburb of Weatherford. Tenants include Lott Cleaners and Rev 180 Fitness. Harrison Beethe and Hudson Lambert of STRIVE represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The buyer and sales price were also not disclosed.
BOSTON — Urban Edge Partners has acquired Brighton Mills Center, a 91,000-square-foot retail property in Boston. Grocer Star Market anchors the center, and other tenants include Petco, Spring Shabu Restaurant, Bank of America and McDonald’s. Nat Heald, Jordana Roet, Connor Scott and Scott Dragosled of CBRE represented the undisclosed seller in the negotiations. The team also procured the buyer. The sales price was not disclosed.
COACHELLA, CALIF. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the sale of Coachella Plaza, a shopping center located at 50249 Cesar Chavez St. in Coachella. The asset traded between two private investors for $12.9 million. Planet Fitness, WSS, Absolute Dollar and Innercare are tenants at the fully occupied, 84,820-square-foot property, which is shadow anchored by Cardenas Markets. Max Kinsbruner and Brian Quinn of JLL represented the seller and buyer in the deal.
TUCSON, ARIZ. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $3 million sale of a restaurant property located at 6210 E. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson. Mark Ruble, Chris Lind and Zack House of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an Arizona-based limited liability company, through a partnership with DSW Commercial Real Estate and Iridius Capital, and procured the buyer, a California-based limited liability partnership. Starbucks Coffee occupies the 2,200-square-foot property, which was built in 2024, on a new 10-year, corporate guaranteed net lease.