GREENVILLE — Hampton Station, the former textile storage space that housed Birds Fly South Ale Project until the brewery closed - and now is losing anchor tenant White Duck Taco shop, is under contract for sale.
A commercial real estate broker representing the owner declined to provide details on a closing date or the reason for the sale of the 10-acre site, but he said they’re still pursuing a new tenant to lease the former Birds Fly South brewery, and multiple other spaces remain open for leases.
“We've tried to be diligent about not just putting the first person in there but trying to find the right fit … Somebody that will help the property excel in the future,” said Ned Reynolds, a broker with Avison Young.
Such a tenant would remain at Hampton Station long-term, attract a lot of foot traffic and mesh well with the current tenants there, Reynolds said.
“So, an operator that knows what they're doing,” he said.
The cotton and textile storage warehouses now known as Hampton Station were built in 1919 during Greenville’s industrial boom.
Hampton Station, a repurposed industrial warehouse complex, is tucked between an expansive highway bridge, a series of scrap yards and luxury apartments. It's under contract for sale.
Eventually, the textile-driven economy declined and countless industrial spaces across town fell vacant and into disrepair.
In 2016, after renovations, Hampton Station opened as an entertainment and shopping district, with Birds Fly South opening as highest-profile tenant.
White Duck Taco, an Asheville-born restaurant that opened in Hampton Station in 2017 and opened another near the Greenville Downtown Airport in 2020, announced Oct. 9 that it was closing.
Owners said they had hoped to stay open at Hampton Station through the end of the year, but Hurricane Helene altered those plans. They plan to open elsewhere in the downtown area.
“We had planned to roll out this news much later in the year, and keep our staff working as long as humanly possible,” the post said. “But with the last few weeks of devastating weather, it became obvious to us (after we lost all of our product) that it would take more money and effort than we could afford to ramp back up after the storm.”
The Wandering Bard meadery earlier this year announced its upcoming closure in November.
Today, the complex houses a coffee shop and roaster, an escape room experience, a pottery shop and a Georgian restaurant, among other businesses.
Last year, the complex’s future became murky when Birds Fly South closed.
It’s in a transforming area, tucked between an expansive highway bridge, a railroad, and a series of scrap yards. Hundreds of luxury apartments lie less than a mile away, with more eventually on the way. Rents for some two bedroom, two bathroom units start at $1,750 per month.
A commercial real estate broker is looking for a long-term tenant to occupy the old Birds Fly South Ale Project space at Hampton Station.
Those apartments, along with an improved connection with the Swamp Rabbit Trail, carry the promise of more foot traffic coming to the complex.
Reynolds said he thinks that the trail’s Orange Line expansion will help the existing tenants and draw interest from new ones, too.
“I'm excited about the future at Hampton, even though there's been a lot of negative press lately,” Reynolds said. “I think there's a lot of positives that are coming in the near future.”