Thursday, August 30, 2012

NUVO Burrito all but confirms new location coming to Charlotte Ave.


Nuvo Burrito who is rumored to be opening a location on Charlotte Avenue at the abandoned Krystal on 53rd Ave (across from Bobbies) all but confirmed on their Facebook page today that they are in fact planning to open on Charlotte Avenue. Stay tuned for details!

Monday, August 27, 2012

M.L. Rose on Charlotte hoping for an early October opening






The neighborhood pub formerly known as Melrose, hopes to be opening it's west side locale in early October. An interview with ML Rose owner Austin Ray was published in today's Nashville Business Journal. And while that particular article was for subscriber eyes only (I am not one of them), I was able to glean an opening date from whoever operates the ML Rose twitter account. Recent peeks at the progress at the former Lavender Motors property reveal the new pub to be very spacious with most of the exterior work close to wrapping up. Very little interior work has been done, which makes me a little skeptical of an early October opening. But whether it's early October, or late November, you better believe I'll be one of the first ones through the door.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Former TDOT property sells for $1M





As reported in the Nashville Post yesterday morning, a Tennessean article today states the state property at 2200 Charlotte Avenue has indeed been sold to developer Holladay Properties.

Read the full story here.

Allen Arender, VP of development for Holladay says there are no concrete plans as of yet for the decrepit property, but that they'll be "spending the next few months analyzing the best reuse of the site..." The operative word in that quote being "reuse".

Holladay was the developer on the Sawtooth complex that houses Apple accessory giant Griffin Technology. See photos and links below.


Another win for Charlotte Avenue, as it progresses onward. We'll be watching this one closely. Stay tuned for details.


Some snippets from the web on Holladay's noteworthy renovation job on the Sawtooth building off Wedgewood:

Here is a blog on the renovation process.

An article from the Scene.

A great video on the rehab process from Griffin





And some photos...




Tuesday, August 21, 2012

New gymnastics center opens on Charlotte Avenue




I had noticed the opening of a new gymnastics center at the old Suddath/United Van Lines building at 35th & Charlotte, and recently stumbled upon a great article by freelance writer Claire Gibson. You can read it here.

Abandoned TDOT property rumored to be sold to developer Holladay Properties


A few months ago, the state of Tennessee decided to put the former TDOT site on the real estate market. The collection of dilapidated buildings that have been rotting at 2200 Charlotte Avenue have been an eyesore for some time and have attracted some negative attention in the local media. Since the property has been on the market, the state has seen some "very poor" bids, but there is word today that a developer may be close to purchasing one of the tracts.


Indiana based Holladay Properties is rumored to be offering $1 million for the tract that contains the buildings, which is less than half of the appraised value of $2.5 million. The adjacent tracts, which are across 23rd Avenue are parking lots and are not part of the transaction. The state hopes that whatever Holladay develops will help increase the value of the unsold tracts. There is no word on what Holladay has planned for the site, who is currently renovating two warehouses in the Nashville area.

For more details on the story, read it at the Nashville Post here.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Rumor Mill - Nuvo Burrito opening on West side?







Popular East Nashville burrito joint Nuvo Burrito might just be opening a location in the vacated Krystal building (5209 Charlotte Ave) across from Bobbie's Dairy Dip. An anonymous reader submitted this comment yesterday:

Anonymous said...

I've heard from good sources the Krystal will be home to a Neuvo (sp?)Burrito. Their second location.

Haven't seen any news of it in permit reports - but he/she claims to have good sources...so we'll keep our eyes on it. According to Nuvo Burrito's website, they are about to open a small location in the food court of the Peabody Corner Marketplace downtown. We'll wait to see if their expansion will continue further west.

Friday, August 17, 2012

28th/31st Connector spurs new wayfinding signage



Caught a glimpse of this today. New wayfinding signage in lieu of the soon to be open 28th-31st Avenue connector. Looks as if there are a few more going up closer to 25th Avenue.

Coffee shop coming to Charlotte Avenue in the heart of Richland Park Shopping District






These days, it seems that the tipping point is inching ever closer for a revitalized Charlotte Avenue. In the wake of increased construction on the new M.L. Rose location at the old Lavender Motors site, comes another new business serving drinks - only this one will serve coffee.

Directly across from Richland Park in a tiny nook tucked in next to Cool Stuff Weird Things, is where Headquarters will soon be opening their door. This shop was formerly home to B.O.A., and is currently undergoing renovations for a grand opening sometime this fall. I had a quick chat with the owners, Louisa and James Green who are very excited about their new adventure. Here is some of what they shared with me.

CAISU: Tell us a little about yourself and your husband and why you decided to open Headquarters.
Louisa: My husband James and I were visiting our friend, Sam, who owns Boa Clothing which occupied the space at 4902 Charlotte. She mentioned that she was relocating her business, and James and I both thought that location would make an amazing coffee shop. The inside, while very small, has great features, including exposed brick walls and space for a garden in the back. We live in the neighborhood, and know firsthand the need for a community coffee house.

While James is a native West Side Nashvillian, I hail from the Bay Area in California. We moved to the Nations four years ago. I've really enjoyed living on the West Side and love our community. There are so many exciting things happening in this part of town and we feel so lucky to be a part of it. The local community has been so supportive.

CAISU: Is this your first endeavor into the restaurant biz?
Louisa: I was a bartender off-and-on for years, but this is the first time either James or I has struck out on our own. Everyday is a new adventure and we are learning so much; we knew it wasn't going to be easy, but are enjoying the adventure.

CAISU: When do you plan to open your doors?
Louisa: As one can imagine, there are many factors in this process that are out of our control. Things that are scheduled to take a day take a week, permits/codes need to be properly considered, equipment is backordered... I could go on and on. We hope to be open in late September, but we don't want to open the doors until everything is right and all i's have been dotted and t's crossed. It's very important to me that this project be beautiful and perfect, because I think the neighborhood deserves it!

CAISU: Will you be serving only breakfast, or will you be open later in the day?
Louisa: I will definitely be open in the morning serving a variety of food. I also plan on staying open for lunch. I will determine our set hours once we're open and I get a better feel for what the neighborhood wants/needs.

We are merely 500 square feet, so there is no space for a kitchen. I am meeting with vendors and plan to provide grab-and-go options for any time of day. I've had a lot of people request healthy options, so I'm hoping to provide a variety of foods, that include gluten-free, vegan, protein rich, salads... we also plan on having a meat-lover option or two. Most of the vendors I am speaking with live and work in the immediate area, and it's really important to me that Headquarters supports and represents the community, which means a variety of food options.

CAISU: Why did you decide to open Headquarters on Charlotte Avenue?
Louisa: The location really spoke to us. That is a great block, too, with so many interesting and cool businesses on it. There's Rhino Books, Harmony Yoga Studio, and Cool Stuff Weird Things, which are all great. It's also right across the street from the park, the library and the West Nashville Farmers Market, which happens to be my favorite farmers market in town.

CAISU: Where did the name "Headquarters" come from?
Louisa: James and I have daydreamed about having a space to house all our creative endeavors for years. We've always referred to this theoretical place as "Headquarters", so when we started this project it really just FIT. I love to think of people in the community saying, "meet me at Headquarters". Further, the space and how we are designing it (think old-school detective agency meets industrial warehouse) FEELS like a headquarters. I'm hoping that it becomes the headquarters for all things good and fun in the neighborhood.

CAISU: What are some of the highlights of your menu?
Louisa: We are going to TRY to offer as many options as we can. Vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, big yummy salads, healthy sandwiches... As someone who lives in the neighborhood, I know what I want to eat and know that a lot of it is impossible to find, especially as a grab-and-go option when I'm in a hurry. I hope to fill that void. That said, I am still (and always will be) taking suggestions from the community about what they want and what our neighborhood needs. 

I want to thank Louisa for taking the time out of her hectic schedule to share this information with us. I know a lot of people who have been waiting for something like this to open up in this part of Charlotte, and I have no doubt it will be a smashing success. You can keep up to date with Headquarters's progress on their Facebook page.