Three years ago, Jeff Craft and Mike Lenhart purchased the lot behind Rococo Steak on 1st Avenue South. In the years since he acquired the space the makeup of the surrounding downtown area has grown twofold.

New retail center set to join burgeoning 600 Block area downtown.

The Central Avenue Block between 6th and 8th Streets North has surged due to the the arrival of businesses like The Lure, Cider Press, Banyan Cafe, the Chihuly Collection, Urban Creamery and the soon to open downtown Publix — just to name a few. The revitalization of the Burg’s downtown area has shined a light on our entrepreneurial spirit and paved the way for new businesses to enter the market.

Fitness and food will define the new spot.

Craft and Lenhart plan to create a 6,500 sq. ft. retail center. The first planned tenant is a 3,000 sq. ft. Orange Theory fitness, which has achieved wild success at their 4th Street location in the Burg. As more apartment/condo towers rise, the need for fitness facilities will surely grow with it.

The remaining 3,500 sq. ft. will house a yet to be determined regional restaurant. The restaurant space will feature a 750 sq. ft. outdoor patio. Most appealing is the off-street parking the retail center will provide. The downtown spot will have 35 parking spaces.

They didn’t originally intend to create a retail center.

The business partners had originally planned to build town homes on the lot; however, as they watched more developments rise, they were inspired to try and offer something different to the downtown area.

The space is being leased by Jeremy Kral of Southeast Retail Group.

We will update the article as more details become available. What type of restaurant would you like to see enter the space? Let us know in a comment!