EVANSTON, ILL. — Maverick Commercial Mortgage Inc. has arranged a $3.3 million SBA loan for a restaurant property occupied by Soul & Smoke in Evanston. A regional SBA lender provided the loan, which is fully amortized over 25 years and features a variable interest rate. Loan proceeds will be utilized to complete construction, refinance in-place debt and provide working capital for the business. The transaction marks Maverick’s first time closing with the borrower and lender. Barbecue restaurant Soul & Smoke has expanded to multiple locations, including a spot at Soldier Field, as well as two food trucks and a retail line.
Baltimore’s retail market is alive and well and has experienced something of a boom in retail activity, driven in large part by the thriving retail hubs in the city and in the surrounding suburbs. Demand for space continues to be robust and prospective tenants and investors alike are excited to be part of the Baltimore market. But the reasons why are more nuanced than simply piggybacking off the overall growth that brick-and-mortar retail is seeing across the country. Baltimore is a bargain One of the causes is the terrific value that Charm City offers when comparing prices to the major metropolises of Washington, D.C., to the south and Philadelphia to the north. The Baltimore MSA offers attractive demographics and strong retail fundamentals, making it a prime target for local, regional and national investors. A great example is the sale by KLNB’s Retail Capital Markets team of Arbutus Shopping Center in fall 2024, a 88,000-square-foot, grocery-anchored center that attracted significant demand due to its Baltimore County location, sub-$20 million price point and the broader market’s interest in grocery-anchored retail assets. Due to these robust conditions and factors, among other reasons, owners are hesitant to sell — despite the substantial interest …
LONGWOOD, FLA.— Winter Park, Fla.-based CrossMarc Services LLC has signed five new tenants to Springs Plaza, a 64,753-square-foot shopping center located roughly 15 miles north of Orlando in Longwood. Among the new tenants are Foxtail Coffee (1,179 square feet), Children’s Art Classes (2,350 square feet), Level Up Pilates (2,365 square feet), 5th Nail Lounge (2,649 square feet) and Turning Point Dance Studio (2,351 square feet). Flavia Kanyago internally represented CrossMarc, as well as Baltimore-based joint venture partner MCB Real Estate, in the lease negotiations. Other tenants at the center — which is now 95 percent leased — include Tijuana Flats, First Watch, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Hurricane Grill & Wings and Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming and a 58,000-square-foot Publix that shadow-anchors the property.
CLERMONT, FLA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $11.3 million sale of Legends Pointe, a two-building mixed-use retail and medical office property located in Clermont, approximately 22 miles west of Orlando. Originally built in 2006, the recently renovated property is situated on 4.3 acres and totals 47,418 square feet. Legends Pointe comprises 18 office suites and 10 retail units. Yassin Benkabbou and Salim Valiani of Marcus & Millichap’s Orlando office represented the seller, a local limited liability company, in the transaction.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Revitalization Unlimited has purchased The DeGraff Building, a mixed-use property at 118 N. Tejon St. in Colorado Springs. Terms of the transaction were not released. The four-story, 34,160-square-foot building features 18 rental units, 16 of which are currently leased. For the past decade, Oskar Blues Grill & Brew has occupied the first floor and basement, while the upper floors are used as office space. Built in 1897, The DeGraff Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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JLL: U.S. Retail Sector Remains Optimistic as Market Conditions Shift
CHICAGO — Retail closures are at a cyclical high, totaling a whopping 9,900 business shutdowns in 2024, according to JLL’s fourth-quarter 2024 retail report entitled “United States Retail Market Dynamics.” For the first time in several years, store closures outpaced store openings in a calendar year. Fabric and crafts retailer JOANN, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice within a year, is shuttering all 800 stores, while major department store chain Macy’s will close 150 stores over the next three years, with 66 closures anticipated in 2025 alone. The highest number of store closures resulted from discount and dollar stores like Family Dollar, CVS Health and Big Lots, as well as specialty retailers like Party City. Retail closures are represented across different size brackets, with more than 55 percent of announced closures identifying with footprints ranging from 5,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. Expanding retailers such as Dollar General, O’Reilly Automotive and Five Below align with these vacant boxes, while larger, major closures like Bed Bath & Beyond and Toys “R” Us occupy more “desirable” locations. On the flip side, between 2024 and 2025, there were roughly 7,700 new retail store openings announced. Nearly 3,000 of these openings …
WESTLAKE, OHIO — New tenants are opening and existing tenants are expanding at Crocker Park lifestyle center in Westlake, a western suburb of Cleveland. New tenants include Color Me Mine, Garage, Océanne, State & Liberty, Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle, Tradehome Shoes and Vera Bradley. Arhaus and Lucky Shoes are relocating to larger spaces. Additionally, CPL Architecture, Engineering & Planning will soon open an office, and Palmer Holland is expanding its footprint, now occupying a ground-floor space in addition to its third-floor office space. Crocker Park features more than 4.5 million square feet with over 130 local and national retailers and dining options as well as office buildings, luxury apartments and an event venue. Cleveland-based Stark Enterprises is the owner.
ATLANTA — Jamestown has acquired a minority stake in Inman Quarter, a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s Inman Park district. The Atlanta-based company, best known for its placemaking and operation of developments like Ponce City Market, will own and operate Inman Quarter with TriBridge Residential, a multifamily owner/operator also based in Atlanta. The property includes approximately 40,000 square feet of retail space, 200 residential units and a 515-space parking deck. The retail component comprises popular restaurants and cafes, including MF Sushi, Little Spirit, bartaco and Beetlecat. The sales price and Jamestown’s stake amount at Inman Quarter were not disclosed.
SAN DIEGO — OneSource Funding LLC has purchased 762-764 5th Avenue, a mixed-use property in San Diego, from Gaslamp Portfolio Management 2 LLC for $4.7 million. Bradley Peters, Ben Tashakorian and Ali Valiahdi of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller and buyer in the transaction. Built in 1902, the 10,000-square-foot property features two residential floors and ground-level restaurant space. The buyer plans to redevelop the residential floors into multifamily units.
LENEXA, KAN. — Cactus Grill has opened at Lenexa City Center’s Restaurant Row in Kansas. The new location features house-made salsas, fajitas and espinaca dip as well as a spacious bar and patio. Copaken Brooks owns the property, and Erin Johnston is the landlord representative. Ed Gieselman owns Cactus Grill.