A longtime Greenwood restaurant and brewery was one of several businesses to receive a facelift as part of a two-year, multi-million dollar project to improve the overall look of a Main Street strip mall.
A joint effort by Oaken Barrel’s owner Kwang Casey, two local developers and the city resulted in an expanded Oaken Barrel, two new tenants and 11 new employees. The project also increased the average hourly wage of all employees at the Airport Parkway Plaza by more than $2 since February 2017.
They are putting the finishing touches on the project now.
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“We’re down to the homestretch. All of the main engineering is done. It’s all cosmetic stuff now,” said Casey, who also owns the strip mall in addition to Oaken Barrel. “We’re saying 60 days to be safe, but everything will be done before then.”
Casey partnered with local developers Billy and Todd Bemis to buy the entire strip mall, which had gone downhill over the years, they said. In fact, Casey had considered taking his now 24-year-old business elsewhere before buying the property.
Together, they poured more than $1 million of their own money into the center since entering into an agreement with the city. The redevelopment commission offered up $500,000 in tax dollars when it signed onto the project in July 2016, but will not hand over those funds until the project is complete.
Casey and the Bemis Group bought the entire strip mall from an out-of-state owner for $1.4 million in 2016 and spent $1.2 million on improvements themselves before entering into the agreement with the city. Now they’ve spent more than $3.6 million total to improve the site over the last couple of years.
A lot has been done to beautify the property near Main Street and Emerson Avenue, including replacing the outdated residential look of the storefronts with more brick and wood, following an oak and barrel motif. A large pergola was added to the front of Oaken Barrel, which covers a new outdoor patio. They also repaved the entire parking lot, which was littered with potholes and fading lanes, and are landscaping and adding new lights and signage.
Casey, the Bemises and Lynn Gray, a lawyer representing them, spoke before the redevelopment commission Tuesday night. They were required to provide an update every year of the project, which was scheduled to be completed Oct. 1.
“During the construction of this, there have not been any closures of any of the businesses there, including the Oaken Barrel,” Gray said. “That presents challenges. As one might expect, it’s easier to close off places and go in and do (construction). But we didn’t want to do that for benefit of the businesses that are there. Not one hour of activity time has been lost by any of the tenants.”
Two new businesses recently set up shop in the strip mall, which is 100 percent occupied now. Nest Real Estate and Indiana Title and Closing Services are up and running.
Originally, they hoped to attract more restaurants and retail shops, Casey said. But he’s happy with the outcome because he’s good friends with the new business owners, he said.
“I was hoping for a coffee shop or another restaurant. But they’re good tenants and long-time Greenwood business people, so I’m happy with the outcome,” Casey said.
“A couple more people showed interest. But I had to tell them, you know, we’re full now.”
The strip mall first opened as Vista Village Shopping Center in the early 1980s. Oaken Barrel has been a local staple in the community for more than two decades, Casey said, which is why the two new businesses decided to relocate from Emerson Avenue.
“They liked this location because when they were over on Emerson, people had trouble finding them. Now they can just say they’re right next to the Oaken Barrel and everyone knows exactly (where) they’re talking about. We’re like a landmark in Greenwood,” Casey said.
Other businesses in the strip mall include a church, a boutique and a financial services firm.
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Owners and developers spent the past two years renovating a strip mall that has been a Greenwood staple for decades. Here is a look at some of the progress that has been made during the project:
Tenants
Oct. 2018; 7
Feb. 2017; 5
Full-time employees
Oct. 2018; 55
Feb. 2017; 44
Average hourly wage
Oct. 2018; $29.40
Feb. 2017; $27
Strip mall name
Oct. 2018; Airport Parkway Plaza
Feb. 2017; Vista Village
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