What's Going On At the S & W?

Opening Asheville’s food hall has definitely not been an easy process. Trying to do so in a one-of-a-kind historic, art deco treasure has not made it any easier. Throw a global pandemic in the mix, and you’ve got yourself a party 🙂 All along, it has felt like such important work to be able to bring this building back to life.

In January, we will be ready to announce our full line-up of food vendors, and to say we are excited is an understatement. These five operators alongside Highland Brewing are truly going to make this a must-stop location in downtown Asheville. From painting the ceiling gold the way it was originally to taking out the horrible black metal-framed walls and windows that had been installed sometime in the ’90s, we have been lovingly restoring and working really hard to make this a comfortable and beautiful space for the masses.

Today, the sidewalk expansion started, after years of working on permitting with the city to make this happen. When finished, we will have seating for 36 in the front, allowing visitors to enjoy the fresh air while they sip their beer and enjoy fresh, local food in this vibrant spot.

Much more to come in January! Stay tuned…and meanwhile, have a very happy new year.

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Bank of America Building on Patton to Become Parisian Hotel

We are thrilled about the recent announcement that plans have been approved for the Parisian Hotel to move forward. This vacant building has been an eyesore for years, and this revised plan with courtyard in adjacent to the sidewalk and arches on the exterior will completely transform the property. When the S & W reopens as the S & W Market, a food hall and taproom for Highland Brewing Co., and the Parisian Hotel is finished and open for business, this corridor is going to have a completely different look and feel, and we couldn’t be happier about it!

For more, read the recent article from the Asheville Citizen-Times:

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/01/10/parisian-hotel-plan-approved-asheville-downtown-commission/4425022002/

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Proud to Announce the Historic S & W Building to Open as a Food and Beverage Hall

Asheville’s iconic S&W Building will become a food hall focused on the best of local food and beer when it opens as The S&W Market. Ellington Realty Group project is revitalizing the building, located at 56 Patton Avenue, which will become home to a roster of top local restaurants curated by culinary consultant Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani Restaurant Group.

The S&W Market will also welcome Highland Brewing Company back to downtown, where their story began 25 years ago. Asheville’s original craft brewery will anchor the two-story space and feature a first-floor bar area and a mezzanine-level bar, tasting room and event space. Highland’s founder, Oscar Wong, said, “Highland was part of the rebirth of downtown Asheville back in the 90s along with many others – to return downtown and be part of the rebirth of this iconic building is nothing short of amazing.”

Upon entering the building, guests will be greeted with a sampling of flavorful dining options from four Asheville-based food stalls hand-selected for their crave-worthy offerings and ties to the city along with Highland Brewing’s main level bar.

On the mezzanine, an expanded lineup of Highland’s small-batch, sour, and barrel-aged beer offerings will be featured. The space will have seating for guests to enjoy a pint with their food and a view of the activity below or the city outside.

“I’ve never had an interest in opening a second taproom,” said Highland’s second-generation Family-Owner and President, Leah Wong Ashburn. “But this confluence was powerful. We are engaged in revitalizing a piece of Asheville’s history and working with an incredibly talented group of Asheville entrepreneurs who all believe in authenticity, family, and having fun with this project.”

The feeling is mutual. The S&W was purchased in 2017 by brothers Douglas and Kenneth Ellington, who are the great-nephews of the building’s noted architect Douglas Ellington.

“There is a great deal of meaning for us in this particular project,” says Douglas Ellington. “We’re honored to work alongside Meherwan and the wonderful team at Highland Brewing to create a welcoming space that will enhance our downtown community and revitalize a beautiful historic building that has provided fond memories for many in Asheville.”

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the revived S&W will serve as an homage to the property’s storied past, while also honoring its place within the Asheville community’s future. The S&W Building is a celebrated staple among the city’s buzzing downtown for its’ striking Art Deco style and intricate architectural details.

Much of the time-honored space will remain unchanged, including its familiar facade of wide arched windows and terra cotta panels, accented with richly colored green and blue tiles. A revamped interior will seek to evoke the same
energy of the bustling dining destination that many enjoyed growing up in Asheville and ample sidewalk seating will adorn the building’s front.

“With the culinary mecca that Asheville has become, we feel that a food hall focused on the best of local food and beer in the center of downtown will be a huge hit with both locals and out-of-town visitors,” says Burns Aldridge, managing broker of Ellington Realty Group. “Food halls have become incredibly popular in the past few years as the consumer demand for authentic healthier yet casual food options has grown. The S&W Market will offer counter service with delicious local food, just as the building was originally intended.”

Diana Bellgowan, Architect is leading the project with J & N Construction as contractor. Restaurateurs signed onto the project will be announced at a later date. For more information, call Ellington Realty Group at 828-575-1500.

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The stories behind commercial real estate

On the surface, it may seem that commercial real estate is just about the numbers: how much money a person can make off an investment over a long period of time. And that is part of the story. But commercial real estate, especially in a place like Asheville, is as rich and diverse as it’s people.  It’s the small restaurant that was started by someone with no formal cooking experience and big dreams who now has a line out the door every day. It’s the art gallery that brought an old dilapidated building on an empty corner back from ruin and filled with buyers. It’s the former run-down old skating rink that’s now a popular barbecue restaurant written up all around the world. And it’s the former auto shop that two women with a food truck knew would make an amazing spot for a beer garden.

Every time we work with someone, we get to know and be a part of their story and that is, by far, the best part of this business. There is money to make, and return on investments to worry about, and interest rates and CAM fees. But it’s so much more than that. It’s about being a part of a community, one building, and one story at a time. What’s your story? We would be honored to be a part of it.

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It's Official! Ticket Sales Have Launched for ChowChow Asheville

Ellington Realty Group is a proud sponsor of the Urban Trail event at the very exciting upcoming food festival, Chow Chow.

From chowchowasheville.com:

Asheville, NC’s new culinary spectacular, Chow Chow, welcomes everyone to the table September 12-15, 2019. Named for a piquant vegetable slaw that has perked up generations of Appalachian dinner plates, this immersive festival celebrates the bounty of the ancient landscape that envelops the city. Here where food and creativity flow like the rushing streams and rivers of the surrounding Appalachian Mountains, local taste-makers prepare and share meals that nourish the soul as well as sustain the land.

The festival’s lineup includes grand tasting events, chef demonstrations, charitable collaborations, and a unique array of hands-on experiences in and around town. In Asheville, the table is always set—and Chow Chow invites all to feast on the abundance.

Go to chowchowasheville.com for tickets to the events. You don’t want to miss this!

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CBS This Morning Features Chai Pani's Meherwan Irani

CBS This Morning featured Chef Meherwan Irani of Asheville’s famed Chai Pani, this past weekend. His Indian street food is breaking barriers and changing the way people view Indian food in the United States.

Our broker-in-charge Burns Aldridge is proud to have helped the Iranis secure their first Chai Pani space on Battery Park in downtown Asheville, in 2009.

Watch the video here:

https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_morning/video/u15u7wDO6_RsSux0NOmi6C3WNFnTbNae/chef-meherwan-irani-on-bringing-indian-cuisine-to-america/

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A Peek Into Asheville History

Fabulous time Saturday at the Preservation Society gala, with a trip beginning in the 1870s at Fernihurst Mansion atop Vernon Hill. We then continued on to the 1920s, when we visited the Mediterranean mansion Chiles House in Kenilworth. We ended with founding father-inspired New Gunston Hall in Biltmore Forest. All just exemplary places that we felt lucky to get to see.

The fantastic live music and cocktails by The Times at S&W were icing on the cake. Asheville has such a rich and interesting history, and we are proud to be a part of helping to preserve that.

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Chai Pani Owners Expanding Their Indian Street Food Empire

One of the very best parts of our job is working with the innovative, driven and deeply interesting clients that we work with. One of the  best examples of those is long-time Ellington Realty Group clients Meherwan and Molly Irani of the famed Asheville restaurant Chai Pani.

Eater Atlanta published last week:

Chai Pani and Botiwalla chef-owner Meherwan Irani is expanding his Indian street food mini empire. Irani has confirmed he is opening three more metro Atlanta Botiwalla locations in the next year, and as many as eight to ten more locations over the next five years throughout the southeast. Irani’s future plans could include as many as 50 Botiwallas.

Read More:

https://atlanta.eater.com/2018/4/19/17256006/botiwalla-chai-pani-meherwan-irani-expansion?mc_cid=f8587aeb39&mc_eid=%5bUNIQID

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Asheville Mall Sears store to close in July

According to a report on money.cnn.com, between 20% and 25% of American malls will close within five years. That kind of plunge would be unprecedented in the nation’s history.
The reasons are nothing new. People are shopping online more than ever, and that trend is expected to keep growing. Foot traffic at malls has been on the decline for years. The report estimates that as malls close, online sales will grow from 17% of retail sales today to 35% by 2030.

There are also, quite simply, too many stores after years of new mall construction caused a retail bubble.

The closing of the Sears at the Asheville Mall is no surprise. A redevelopment plan is in the works however, to repurpose the space instead of the entire mall closing.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/04/17/asheville-mall-sears-store-close-july-2018-heres-what-we-know/520703002/

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Chai Pani Launches New Look

We were proud to have represented the fine owners of Chai Pani when they opened their very first location on Battery Park. Now, that space has just undergone a renovation where the flavors can be bigger and better than ever and the restaurant can better serve it’s loyal customers.

, for the Citizen-Times, tells more:

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/03/06/gallery-ashevilles-chai-pani-launches-new-look-expands-menu/396153002/

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