If you’ve found yourself jonesing for a Starbucks fix at Trammell Crow Center or Bank of America Plaza lately, you’ve been out of luck. The coffee chain’s former stores in those buildings have been closed since Thanksgiving, following the bankruptcy of Fresh Choice Inc., a California company that operated the Starbucks stores, along with an eatery in Trammell Crow Center.
Both downtown towers house about 3,000 tenant employees.
The properties’ leasing teams have been working to replace the amenities.
Bank of America Plaza has tapped Lee Loftis of SRS to help fill the former Starbucks store and other spots, says Sarah Hinkley, senior vice president at Peloton Commercial Real Estate. “We have six retail spaces available, with hopefully a few announcements soon,” she said.
Over at Trammell Crow Center, Sarah Erickson with Stream Realty Partners said they’ve been “overwhelmed by interest in the space from many well-known brands.”
“This all happened the week before Thanksgiving,” she said. “While many people were headed out to be with their families, our team toured the newly available space all day the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”
They cut a deal with an undisclosed group the next day. Erickson said the to-be-announced provider will offer a variety of food offerings.
“We think the tenants in Trammell Crow Center and surrounding buildings will be very pleased,” she said.
The openings provided an opportunity to upgrade amenities, according to Erickson. Along with the new restaurants, Stream just signed a lease with the sundry shop owner that operates a store in The Crescent. For now, The Gem is providing juice and salad options two days a week.
Erickson said office leasing velocity in the building has also been strong. The property has a 165,000-square-foot block of space available.
“We are on the short list for several big names for all or a portion of that availability,” she said. “We are very bullish on Arts District leasing in 2013. Surrounding buildings are running out of space, including ours. Supply-demand dynamics lead us to believe pricing will significantly improve over the next 12 months.”