News article via The Oklahoman - http://newsok.com/article/5558112
A commercial retail and office project being built at the corner of May Avenue and Memorial Road has a lot going for it, a broker says.
"The best thing about this location is it's right off Memorial and close to Quail Springs," said George Williams, a retail leasing specialist with Price Edwards & Co., the broker for the Shoppes at Quail Springs, 13601 N May Ave.
"The traffic count is really high, and there are a lot of rooftops, both single family and multifamily, and higher-end neighborhoods.
"What retailers want are locations that have high traffic counts and high-density populations with high household incomes. And this location is one of the best locations in the metro."
Phillip Mazaheri, also a Price Edwards & Co. retail specialist, said the project is being developed by his father's company, Mazaheri Properties.
Phillip Mazaheri said his father, Fred, obtained the property 13 years ago, and started the process of building the Shoppes at Quail Springs a couple of years ago.
Even Phillip Mazaheri said he is impressed by the project's visibility, now that it's nearing completion.
"Seeing renderings is one thing," he said. "But once it started to go up, it really came to life. You can see it from across the way, and from the (John Kilpatrick) turnpike. That's pretty exciting."
Phillip Mazaheri said another aspect of the project he believes its customers will love is its landscaping.
"The developer went above and beyond what was required. The tenants will enjoy that as well."
Upstairs, downstairs
An interesting aspect to the Shoppes at Quail Springs is that it is a mix of both retail and, upstairs over much of the project, 23,000 square feet of office space.
While some of that is set aside for use by Mazaheri Properties and a law firm, much of it still remains available for lease.
It offers interesting views of the turnpike and May Avenue corridors, and also will give tenants excellent exposure to passing motorists each day. The upstairs space is accessible using elevators and stairs that can be accessed from entrances nestled between commercial spaces on the project's street level.
On Thursday, the management team at Salata, a restaurant that will open next month in a part of the project that faces May, had to turn away a trio of customers who had just happened to have seen its sign from the street and had hoped to grab a salad for lunch.
Currently, The Ambassador Shop, a men's clothing store, and Salons by JC are the only open commercial businesses in the project. But that is going to begin to change, as Salata and other businesses begin to open there later this year.
Phillip Mazaheri said the developer is pleased with progress of leasing efforts, so far.
"This is a long-term investment for him, he's wanting the best mix possible," he said. "We have gotten plenty of interest on the property."
Other businesses that will be opening soon include a restaurant that will feature a new Japanese food concept, a Vietnamese restaurant, a nail salon, and, if negotiations are successful, a bank.
In all, the Shoppes at Quail Springs offers 50,000 square feet of commercial space at its street level.
Laura Gilliam, a licensed aesthetician, said she moved into a spot inside Salons by JC in May from an Edmond location. Gilliam said Salons by JC is doing very well, with only a few individual salon spaces still available.
She said her clients like the Shoppes of Quail Springs as well, because it isn't hard to get in and out of like some locations are.
"I've been doing this for 17 years," Gilliam said. "This is the happiest I've ever been."
