Developers eye new Edgewood retail space
When Homewood resident Michael Murray is walking or driving through his city, he said he’s always looking out for interesting properties to own or develop. It’s a side effect of his job as an associate broker at Shannon Waltchack Commercial Real Estate.
In more than 20 years living in Homewood, Murray said one of those properties is the Edgewood Service Center at 1017 Oxmoor Road. The building itself, as well as its location, makes the service center a prime candidate for what Murray called “adaptive reuse” — fitting an existing building to a new purpose rather than constructing something new.
“This is one that I’ve had my eye on for literally years,” Murray said.
Murray said the service center has operated in Edgewood for nearly 40 years, but within a few months it could be the site of shops and offices. Shannon Waltchack is in discussions with the owner of Edgewood Service Center to buy the property and has already released a flier advertising the leasing space to potential tenants.
“Edgewood’s on fire and it’s such a desirable place to live and the retail core is thriving,” said Derek Waltchack, one of the principals of Shannon Waltchack.
The flier states that the owners of Edgewood Service Center are retiring. However, owner Carolyn Pettus said in a mid-February interview that a final decision has not been made.
If the deal is finalized, Shannon Waltchack wants to gut the interior of the 9,000-square-foot building, repaint it and ready it for a mix of restaurant, retail and office tenants. The garage doors would be replaced by glass and retail storefronts.
“The bones of the building are wonderful,” Waltchack said. “The garage lends itself to good retail spaces, and we’ll actually have some parking for those retailers, which will be unique to Edgewood.”
There are about 100 parking spots within a block of the service center, which they agreed would be enticing to new tenants. The number of residents within walking distance also adds to the appeal. Depending on tenants’ needs, the 7,000 square feet on the first floor could be divided in different ways.
The first rendering of the proposed renovations, which was included on the leasing flier, shows signs for Gulf Oil and Sinclair Oil. These throwbacks to the history of the Edgewood Service Center, which started as a gas station, are not a definite part of the final plan.
However, Murray and Waltchack agreed that the history of the building deserves recognition in the renovation. When customers walk in the new shops, both men want them to see signs of the past blended with the new.
“We want to play off the heritage of the prior use,” Waltchack said.
Murray said the garage would be split between retail and restaurant space. A two-story portion of the building, on the left end as viewed from Oxmoor Road, would have offices on the second floor and either retail or another office space on the ground floor.
“I see this as a sister development to the Hollywood,” said Waltchack, referring to the Shannon Waltchack development on Hollywood Boulevard that houses Over Easy and Mexico Lindo.
Though information about the project only became public in early February, Murray said the real estate firm is already in negotiations with potential tenants and seeking more. They’re looking for one or two restaurant concepts and a clothing store or similar tenant.
“We want to find retailers that are as unique as the neighborhood,” Murray said.
Edgewood Service Center is already surrounded by several dining options, including La Bamba, Saw’s BBQ, New York Pizza, Sam’s Deli and Grill and the newly opened Taco Mama location. Dreamcakes and Edgewood Creamery provide dessert options, and Sprout & Pour offers cold-pressed juices.
Despite this buffet of food choices within less than a quarter mile, Waltchack said he isn’t worried about the new restaurants oversaturating the market.
“I think who we’re talking to is so unique that there won’t be any competition between the two,” Waltchack said.
Amanda Blake Turner, the owner of Sprout & Pour, said she was excited to see more retail options and would love to have health or fitness related business neighbors to complement her own store. In a discussion of the topic on the What’s Happening in Homewood Facebook page, many residents supported the idea of a small grocery market, a breakfast place or coffee shop. Since Hart and Soul closed in 2015, none of those options exist in Edgewood.
“I personally think it is a great idea. I think a couple of small retail stores and a coffee shop that specialized in breakfast would be perfect,” said Chris Collins of Homewood Antiques.
As of The Homewood Star’s press date, the deal between Shannon Waltchack and the Edgewood Service Center had not been finalized. If the sale occurs, Murray said, no information can be released on tenants until lease agreements are complete. However, he said they are planning to have renovations done for tenants to move in by mid-summer 2016.
“The concepts who we’re talking with… we feel will be very well received in the community,” Murray said.