Retail | AREA Real Estate Advisors

Sporting Kansas City has signed a 30,000 square foot 10-year lease at 3Y, relocating the team’s offices to The River Market. The Class A Office building is located at 300 Wyandotte and is owned by SomeraRoad. Sporting currently offices out of the Marietta Chair building at 2020 Baltimore Ave in the Crossroads, and has been there since early 2017.

Occupancy at 3Y is targeted for next quarter and the space will office its ownership, management and administrative teams.

AREA’s Sean Craven & Tim Schaffer negotiated the transaction on behalf of Sporting Kansas City and SomeraRoad.

AREA also handles the property management for the 3Y building. To read more about the move, read the KCBJ’s article here.

Banksia Australian Bakehouse & Café will relocate their flagship restaurant a few blocks south to the first floor of Town Pavilion at 1111 Main Street downtown. The new location will take the former Plowboys Barbeque space on the southeast corner of 12th & Main Streets along the Streetcar Line. The new 5,350 SF restaurant will more than triple its seating, serving 150 people inside plus an additional 50 to 80 outside. It will be the first location to include happy hour and dinner service.

AREA’s Tiffany Ruzicka represented Banksia in this transaction, as well as their South Plaza location. “The move allows Banksia to design a space meant for the growing downtown businesses and beyond”, said Ruzicka.

Banksia owners, Rob & Kate Joseph and Erika Vikor, opened their flagship location in 2017 at 105 W 9th Street after moving to Kansas City from Australia 5 years prior. In early 2020, they opened a second location in South Plaza at 4800 Main Street, which features a full bar.

Their current menu reflects the owners’ Australian heritage featuring breakfast, lunch, and pastry items such as sausage rolls, meat pies, ricotta pancakes, and vegemite toast. “Best flat white in the city” according to Ruzicka.

To read more about Banksia’s downtown move, click here for the KCBJ article.

Ashley Bare, the chef behind the premiere meal delivery service, Hemma Hemma, will open her first restaurant concept later this summer. The 4,200 SF restaurant will take the former District. Pour House + Kitchen space in Waldo’s Romanelli Shops.

Hemma Hemma’s fresh take on meal delivery service focuses on creating delicious, nourishing dishes that feel homemade.  Now, the same unique flavor combinations, colorful seasonality, and beautiful presentation that Hemma Hemma has been known for will be offered at its first location. The restaurant’s core values will be focused around sustainability, quality, convenience, and ease. “I’m looking forward to Hemma Hemma becoming part of the fabric of the community that I grew up in and bringing my experience from around the world to the city I love,” said Ashley.

Hemma Hemma’s space will have a a modern-meets-home aesthetic with a variety of spaces: a main dining room, teaching kitchen, coffee bar, marketplace with grab-and-go meals, outdoor seating and a basement room for private events and dinner. Ashley partnered with design firm Midwest & Co on the design of the space. Hemma Hemma translates to ‘at home’ in Swedish, which is the goal of the feel of the restaurant.

Check out Hemma Hemma’s website for more details on their premier meal delivery service, and follow them on Instagram and Facebook for updates and sneak peeks of the new restaurant.

AREA’s Tiffany Ruzicka represented both sides of this transaction.

Cycle City’s second location is now open in the River Market’s historic Water Building at 201 Main Street. The full-service bike shop’s nearly 5,000 SF space on the main floor of the building includes both a retail shop and servicing space. The retail shop offers bikes for all levels including road, mountain and gravel bikes along with clothing, accessories and snacks.

Cycle City’s popular bike shop has been open in Parkville, MO for 18 years. This second location will fill a void in the booming downtown/River Market area. Owner Joe Fox chose the location for this reason as well as the traffic from adjacent trails and the neighborhood spirit. “I like the River Market because of our possibility of having a very successful shop in downtown Kansas City,” he said. “I love the neighborhood feel, particularly on Second Street, with the apartments and condos.”

They plan to capitalize on this neighborhood feel with River Bluff Brewing, who is also located in the Water Building. Group rides as well as free drink tokens while you wait for your bike to be serviced are a few of the ideas they have for partnering with the microbrewery.

The Kansas City Water Works building was constructed in 1905. The main floor was designed to house the following: a stable with stalls for forty horses, space for thirty-five buggies and wagons, a harness room, wash rooms and a furnace room which supplies steam heat for the building. The second floor was designed for offices of the Superintendents of Pipe Lines and the Meter Department. Also located on this floor were the blacksmith shop, wagon repair shop and a large storage room for hay. The building was renovated in 2003 and purchased in 2020 for new retail and office.

AREA’s Tommy McNeese and Tim Schaffer fully leased the Water Building last year.

For CityScene’s articles on Cycle City and The Water Building, click here and here.

Follow Cycle City on Facebook & Instagram for future events and shop info!