City of Charlottesville updates retail vacancy report

The City of Charlottesville’s Office of Economic Development tracks the occupancy of retail storefronts in six designated areas and has released the latest snapshot reporting on current vacancies. The latest for July 2024 has recently been posted. (view the report)

Of the 450 spaces tracked, 21 are vacant. That’s a slight uptick over 19 reported in January. While the numbers provide one picture, the anecdotal is worth a closer look for what’s happened since January. 

• Vivi’s Cakes and Candy has opened up in York Place (Facebook) (Instagram)
• 518 East Main is expecting a new tenant where the Blue Ridge Country Store had been but I could not find any building permits. The report has the wrong address listed. 
• A bath and beauty store called Ovid & Lane is now at 321 East Water Street (visit the website)
• Vitae Spirits is now listed as having a tasting room at 107 East Main Street on the Mall having moved from 101 East Water Street as vacant.
• The Charlottesville Redevelopment Housing and Authority will occupy the storefront at 310 East Main Street. The government entity paid $2.65 million for the property in late February as I wrote about at the time. There are no applications for building permits listed in the city’s database. 
• Lazeez Modern Indian Flair has taken over the former Red Pump Kitchen at 401 East Main Street. This is that company’s second location. 
• Decades Arcade has expanded into the retail space at 418 East Main Street. 
• The former Commonwealth Restaurant and Skybar at 422 East Main Street is listed as TBD. There do not appear to be any applications for building permits. 
• The Draft Taproom is coming back to 425 East Main Street. I noticed activity last time I was on the mall a week ago and a representative told me to check back soon for more details. A permit for a new sprinkler system was issued in 2022 with work estimated at about $7,800. According to their Facebook page, they closed on March 15, 2023 just as the COVID-19 pandemic caused a cascade of business shutdowns. 

Downtown vacancies include 200 West Market Street (the former Fellini’s), 201 West Water Street (the former Waterbird distillery), and a retail space at 218 West Main Street in the CODE Building. 

The number of vacancies at the 87-space Barracks Road Shopping Center increased from seven to nine due to what the report calls a “natural amount of turnover.” Vacancies include the former locations of Zoe’s Kitchen, Rebeccas Natural Food, Mahana Fresh, SimplyMac, and Chocolatesville. 

At some point in the recent path, the Office of Economic Development removed several retail spaces at Seminole Square due to the planned redevelopment of the former Giant and other commercial space into over 350 apartments. 

Take a look at the full report for more information. 

The Office of Economic Development does not track retail activity on West Main Street, the Willoughby Shopping Center and other scattered sites across the area. There are at least two buildings on West Main Street with retail space that has never been rented. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the July 31, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.