January 31, 2008
West Broughton Partners, LLC is pleased to announce that Urban Outfitters has signed a long-term lease in the old Sears building at 219-221 West Broughton. The namesake brand of Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters, Inc. will occupy over 11,150 square feet in the street-level, second floor and basement of the building and will open this year. Ronald Cohen and Deanne Clarke of HunterMaclean and W. Ashley Bowersox of Sperry Van Ness represented the landlord in this transaction.
The accomplished retailer opened its first location in 1970 and has grown to 122 namesake stores in the US, Canada and Europe, 106 Anthropologie shops and 15 Free People stores. Urban Outfitters is a brand of choice for young adults who seek highly individual and “of the moment” apparel, accessories, footwear and home furnishings and will be instrumental in continuing the retail renaissance occurring on Broughton Street and the Savannah Historic District as a whole. “Urban Outfitters is very excited to be part of the reawakening of West Broughton Street as a happening commercial venue. We just fell in love with this beautiful and historic building,” states Lorraine Adney of The McDevitt Company, which represents the tenant as its national real estate advisor.
The restoration of 217-221 West Broughton began a year ago through the efforts of Ramsey Khalidi, Principal of RK Construction and Development, and Peter T. Kusek, Principal of The Magnolia Fund. With a storied history that dates from the 1880’s, the buildings have been home to J.D. Weed & Co., Sears, Roebuck and Co., Belk’s and most recently, Frozen Paradise. The property has been transformed over the last year through a significant restoration of the original architectural elements of the facade and the interior. In November, The Clothing Warehouse, the popular Atlanta-based vintage clothing chain, opened to much excitement on the street-level of 217 West Broughton. The store is open seven days a week and offers upwards of 1500 vintage dresses, 500 pairs of jeans and an infinite supply of other apparel items.
