What’s missing on Main Street?

While Greenville boasts one of the best Main Streets in America, you may have noticed a few vacancies here and there – to be specific, we counted seven.

The average lease for a Main St. location is $25 per square foot per year, and the average building size is 4,495 sq. ft. From our calculations, rent costs roughly $112,375 per year for a retail shop on Main Street. 🤓

Even though rent cost may not be the reason for the vacancies, we are looking at these opens spaces as potential ways to bring in some of your ideas on what Greenville’s Main Street needs:

💭 “Would love to see a Paper Source go in downtown! It’s a cute boutique like cards/gift store, I think it would do great in downtown Greenville! Not great for my wallet, but great for Main Street.”

💭 “I would love to see a movie theatre downtown that offers wine, beer, and cocktail selections. Or a dessert bar.”

💭 “Whisky bar 🥃 “

💭 “Chick-fil-A! No more window. We need an actual downtown Chick-fil-A!”

💭“Having moved here from the Chicago area, I’m sorry, GVL needs a good deep dish pizza like Lou Malnatis: It would be great to get something like that on Main street!!” - Will

💭 “What’s missing from Main Street?An artisan bakery or pastry shop. European style cafe with pastries and breads and coffee with chairs outside. I’m not talking about a coffee shop......a European upscale Konditerei, like in Germany. They are fabulous. And, amazing and always crowded because they are the place that people go to have dessert with their friends, or coffee with their friends and family. It’s a gathering place. We need something like that near the Hyatt. “ - Rose W.

💭 “I would love to see a Lush, bath and body type store, in downtown. The one on King St in Charleston is packed every time I go there, even during the week.” - Tracy

💭 “I miss Moe Joe’s on Main Street. Cool place to hang out for coffee and music. The atmosphere was comfortable and staff was super friendly.” - Rhonda

💭 “Oh my gosh. Great minds think alike. The original Green Room was excellent and the meatloaf mac cheese with the sweet peas was great on a Saturday sitting in a booth watching the Clemson game. “ - J. W.

💭 “We need a Boxcar Betty’s like they have in Charleston! The very best fried chicken sandwiches EVER! Lines even at 3pm!!” - Sherry Smith

💭 “Maureen’s – nice little sandwich joint.” - Bo Garland

Our idea for the Cochran Jewelers spot: Lula Drake -- one of COLAtoday’s favorite restaurants.

🌇 217 - 219 N. Main St. | $36/sq.ft./year | Former home of Blue Ridge Brewing Co. + Sky at Blue Ridge Restaurant | The buildings are currently undergoing facade upgrades and can be rented as one large building (5,600 combined SF) or separately (2,226 SF or 3,377 SF.). Click here to see facade upgrade renderings.

🌇 125 N. Main St. | $26 per square foot per year | Formerly home to Adventure Mazes | Features 9,200 square feet of space (with retail options for the first floor and basement).

🌇 128 Main Street: 2nd and 3rd floor (above City Tavern on the corner of E. North St.) | $23 per square foot per year | With up to 8,000 sq. ft., this space could be an office or an open-air bar/restaurant concept.

🌇 20 N. Main St. | $27 per square foot per year | Former home of Stellar Wine Bar - the space above Reys. This second generation restaurant space across from One City Plaza with 2,541 square feet. If I may, this would be an awesome spot for CO -- one of my favorite restaurants of all time. They have locations in Charlotte, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Savannah. Next stop, Greenville?

🌇 123 S. Main Street | $12 per square foot per year | Basement space under the new Luna Rosa Gelato - the former home of Bellacino’s. The space is currently home an artist studio/gallery and was previously the Art Cellar (they moved in 2016). Built in 1886, the basement space features 1,800 square feet of retail or office space.

🌇 211 N. Main St. | $30 per square foot per year | Formerly Cochran Jewelry Co. who called the building home for 93 years. Building features 2,439 sq. ft. of ground level retail space plus a 1,889 sq. ft. basement.

ComingSoon:

🌇 The former YAP restaurant (12 S. Main St.) is currently being renovated into River Street Sweets - Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. More on the biz here.

🌇 109 Main St. (former home of Oakblue Kitchen) — Word on the street is that this property has been leased. Stay tuned for who is taking it over.

🌇 A major vacancy lies just across Academy Street at 500 N. Main St. (or ‘the old BiLo’ as many of us know it). The space is currently under contract so stay tuned.

Got an idea? Know of a vacancy we missed? Let us know.