NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson | Portland Commercial Real Estate Blog » Retail

When the Shoe Fits, Comfort Shoe Retailer with Three Vancouver Locations, Opening First Oregon Store at Beaverton’s Progress Ridge TownSquare

NAI NBS — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:52:22 +0000

When the Shoe Fits, a locally-owned comfort shoe retailer with three locations in Vancouver, is opening its first store outside of Vancouver at Progress Ridge TownSquare in Beaverton.

The 1,628 sf store is expected to open in early June. NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Associate Vice President Pam Lindloff represented When the Shoe Fits in the lease with owner Gramor Development. Progress Ridge opened in 2011 at SW Barrows Road and SW Horizon Boulevard and is anchored by New Seasons Market and Cinetopia.

Husband and wife team Alan and Amy O’Hara opened the first When the Shoe Fits store in 2004. Both had long careers in the shoe industry, Alan as a Certified Pedorthist (one who is trained in working with doctors to help patients with treatment that include footwear and orthotics) and shoe buyer for Nordstrom, and Amy in sales, and business.

What sets When the Shoe Fits apart, Alan O’Hara says, is that it specializes in expert shoe fitting and customizing orthotics to help customers alleviate discomfort and solve unique foot problems.

“We’ve had great success in Southwest Washington and want to help more people in our area to get a great fit and alleviate their pain,” Alan said.

When the Shoe Fits offers men’s and women’s shoes of all types, including dress, casual, outdoor, and athletic. Featured brands include Dansko, Brooks, Keen, Merrell and New Balance, among others.

Garnish Apparel Opening Second Location in the Pearl District

NAI NBS — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:50:29 +0000

Garnish, a boutique providing women’s clothing designed and handmade in Portland, is opening its second location in Portland’s Pearl District. NAI NBS’ Caryl Brown represented Garnish’s owner, Erica Lurie, in the purchase of the retail condominium at 404 NW 12th Avenue. Check out pics of the new space on Garnish’s blog, and follow Garnish on Facebook for details about when the new store opens.

Garnish’s original location at 1524 NE Alberta Street has been open for about five years. Garnish provides unique, flattering apparel and accessories, with styles made to fit a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

NAI NBS Team Represents Seller in Acquisition Leasing, $4.5M Sale of Tanasbourne Retail Property

NAI NBS — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:54:21 +0000

A team of NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson brokers represented the seller in the acquisition leasing and $4.5 million sale of a 12,000 sf retail building in Hillsboro’s Tanasbourne area.

NAI NBS President Chris Johnson, Vice President MaryKay West, Vice President Denis O’Neill and Senior Real Estate Broker J.J. Unger represented the seller, Quattro Hillsboro LLC, in the sale.

The building is fully leased to two medical tenants, Aspen Dental and Concentra Health, who both recently signed 10-year leases after the seller retrofitted the building. It is in the heart of the Tanasbourne area, close to Highway 26, with excellent visibility and car traffic.

“Tanasbourne is one of the stronger retail submarkets in the Portland metro area, and this sale is a good indication that demand for well-located, stable retail product is there,” O’Neill said.

Schneider Joins NAI NBS Retail Brokerage Team

NAI NBS — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:03:58 +0000

Last week, NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson welcomed a new broker, Chris Schneider, who is specializing in retail leasing and sales in the Portland metro area.

Most recently, Chris was the Pacific NW Leasing Representative with Retail Opportunity Investments Corp, a REIT based out of San Diego. He was responsible for leasing a portfolio of more than a million square feet of grocery-anchored shopping centers in Portland and Seattle. Prior to that, he spent six years in retail brokerage in the Portland metro area with Barnard Commercial Real Estate.

Click here to view Chris’ resume.

Brown Closes Two More Retail Transactions in Northwest Portland

NAI NBS — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:59:39 +0000

Caryl Brown has recently closed two new retail transactions in Northwest Portland. She executed a 7-year, 4,800 sf lease with Crossroads Trading Company on NW 23^rd Avenue after a long search to find this perfect space. Brown represented the tenant, who she has worked with for 9 years; the company’s only other Portland location is on SE Hawthorne, which Brown also brokered. Crossroads is a recycled clothing store that buys, sells and trades men’s and women’s clothing and accessories; check out their Fall 2011 Fashion Trend Report, a favorite of Brown’s.

Brown also recently sold a 770 sf commercial condo at the Elizabeth, 333 NW 9^th Ave. in the Pearl District (see photos below). The Class A space was purchased by an investor, and the tenant is Urban I.D. Interior Design Studio, a collaboration of seven interior designers. The 15-story Elizabeth, which has 17 commercial units on the ground floor and 186 residential units, was completed in 2005. Brown reports that the sale happened rather quickly: a total of 56 days passed from the date of execution on the listing agreement to close and record of the sale.

Brown Executes Three Retail Leases in The Pearl

NAI NBS — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:58:39 +0000

Caryl Brown, who joined NAI NBS as a retail broker in June, has recently brokered three leases in Portland’s Pearl District, including bringing two new tenants into the Pearl’s diverse retail mix.

Filling Spaces, a 6-year-old business owned by Deepali Kalia, has leased space at the historic Film Exchange Building at NW 19th and Lovejoy. Brown represented Filling Spaces in the transaction. Kalia founded the business six years ago, and it sells one-of-a-kind fabrics, upholstery and bedding, all made in India in family-owned mills. The company also offers design services.

The Film Exchange Building opened in 1930 with tenant Paramount Pictures, and attracted other studios like Fox, RKO, Columbia and Warner. It has private screening rooms, film vaults and other unique features, and over the years has played host to many renowned actors and directors. Check out the building’s blog for more on the building’s history, and some great photos and renovation updates. The Film Exchange Building is owned by Inner City Properties, which also owns the Gadsby Building in The Pearl and many other buildings in Portland.

Two retailers from N. Mississippi held grand openings for their new locations in the Pearl on July 21. Porch Light and Eden leased a total of 3,900 sf on NW 11th, between Everett and Davis; Brown represented the building’s owner. Porch Light, whose original store is at 3972 N. Mississippi, offers all kinds of antiques, primarily from the midwest, including furniture, metalware, pottery, china, glass, architectural salvage, linens textiles, and garden and gift items. Eden comes to you from the owners of Flutter, at 3948 N. Mississippi, and is a boutique that sells a combination of vintage and new merchandise. See below for some great pictures of Porch Light and Eden.

Porch Light and Eden, two retailers that opened Pearl District locations (on NW 11th between Davis and Everett) in July.

A neat table and other antique furnishings at Porch Light.

Great display at Porch Light!

Pottery at Porch Light.

So many different wares for sale at Eden!

Eden's colorful space.

Caryl Brown Joins NAI NBS Retail Brokerage Team

NAI NBS — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 23:12:44 +0000

Caryl Brown, an experienced commercial real estate broker, has joined NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson as an Associate Vice President with the retail brokerage team.

Brown was previously a broker with Debbie Thomas Real Estate for nine years, geographically specializing in lease and sale transactions for commercial properties in the Pearl District. She has brokered a number of significant transactions, including recent leases for Crossroads Trading Company, Hammer & Hand, PlayDate PDX, Cupcake Jones and Odd Ball Shoe Company.

Brown holds a BS in business administration from Portland State University. She is a licensed real estate broker in Oregon, and is pursuing the highly respected Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

Gresham’s Burnside Commons Lands First New Tenant Since Change in Ownership

NAI NBS — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:51:46 +0000

Gresham’s Burnside Commons has secured its first new tenant since FMK Properties – Burnside, LLC purchased the property in July.

Gresham Therapeutic Massage Center leased 3,899 sf, and the lease began Oct. 15. NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Senior Vice President Jack McConnell represented the landlord, and Bill Butler of Web Properties, Inc. served as a consultant on the lease.

Gresham Therapeutic Massage Center, a locally-owned business, found precisely what it was seeking in Burnside Commons: a larger space with good street exposure that had an improved interior and was ready to occupy. The business was previously located in a space on Burnside about half a mile from Burnside Commons.

Since health care is one area of the economy that is growing, brokers are seeing increased activity from health care tenants, McConnell said.

Burnside Commons is a 38,053 square foot, three-building retail property built in 2001 and 2006 at the intersection of Burnside and Eastman Parkway. Burnside Commons’ owners are still working on lease-up of the property, which has considerable vacancies.

First Ever Dex One Solution Center Opens in Vancouver, Wash.

NAI NBS — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:13:52 +0000

Dex One has leased 6,508 square feet of retail space at Columbia Tech Center, Building 601, for the company’s new Dex One Solution Center. NAI NBS’ Tamara Fuller represented the lessee.

The new location serves as the first Dex One Solutions Center in the country. The center, which combines a local Dex One office with a unique storefront presence, is designed to help local businesses and consumers interact directly with Dex One’s marketing consultants. In addition to on-site consultation, the storefront features kiosks and interactive displays to help visitors learn about Dex One’s online, print, voice-enabled and mobile solutions.

Columbia Tech Center

“Columbia Tech Center provides not only a prime location, but also ample space and amenities that will help Dex One’s consultants better serve Vancouver’s local business owners and residents,” Fuller said.

Dex One unveiled the new facility to the public on Sept. 20 with a Grand Opening celebration featuring live music, activities, food and a special appearance by “The Dex Guy,” star of Dex One’s TV commercials.

Good News on Portland’s Retail Development Front

NAI NBS — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:11:19 +0000

It’s been a slow couple of years for new development in Portland, so the fact that two new retail projects recently broke ground is great news.

In late July, Gramor Development broke ground on Progress Ridge, a $60 million, 325,000 sf retail development in Beaverton-Tigard. Big Al’s Family Bowling and Entertainment Center at Progress Ridge just opened in August, and construction on the rest of the center should be finished by fall 2011. Tenants include New Seasons Market, Cinetopia, Rivermark Credit Union, and more.

And last week, Gramor broke ground on Lacamas Crossing in Vancouver, which includes a 154,000 sf Costco and 27,000 sf of additional retail space for 15 businesses. About half of the non-Costco space is preleased, and the center should employ about 500 people. Costco should open in November, and the rest of the space in First Quarter 2011.

This is good news for the market, and hopefully our Third Quarter reports, which will be released the first or second week of October, will hold some more positive indicators.