A car parts retailer has taken over a large facility in Mechanicsville. Photos by Katie Demeria.
May was a month of big deals on industrial space in Richmond’s surrounding counties.
Locally based Richmond Bumper, which sells aftermarket car parts, purchased a 200,000-square-foot industrial facility at 8080 AMF Drive in Mechanicsville for $4.4 million.
The deal closed May 29 and marks an expansion of nearly 140,000 square feet from the company’s original home at 8820 Park Central Drive.
Richard Porter of Porter Realty Co. represented Richmond Bumper in the deal. He said the company was interested in moving because it was pressed for additional storage space and was seeking a central location for distribution. Hanover County’s low inventory tax rate was also a selling point.
Porter said it is too early to determine whether the company will use the entire 200,000 square feet itself or whether it will lease out part of it. The company “needs to get settled and operate out of the building for a while first,” Porter said in an email.
A representative with Richmond Bumper did not return requests for comment.
An entity called Atlantic Leasing Associates LLC was the seller and had originally purchased the property for about $4.2 million, according to Hanover County records. Clifford Porter and Robert Porter Jr. handled the deal on behalf of the seller.
Porter will market Richmond Bumper’s original, 62,500-square-foot building at 8820 Park Central Drive. He said distributors or office tenants will likely be interested in the facility.
Shades of Light’s plans call for more than 80,000 square feet of space with the option to expand. Elevation courtesy of NAI Eagle.
Meanwhile in Chesterfield County, a local retailer has just completed a deal to develop a new facility in Sommerville Industrial Park at 14001 Justice Road.
Shades of Light, which sells lamps, rugs and other home furnishings and has two retail showrooms in the area, signed a contract to construct an 83,000-square-foot distribution center in the park. B.K. Katherman – Railey Hill Associates will lead the development. Chris Rice of brokerage NAI Eagle assisted Shades of Light in its search for real estate.
Shades of Light co-owner Bryan Johnson said the company had been seeking a new location for more than 18 months and looked all over the area, including in Ashland, near the Richmond International Airport and in Scott’s Addition.
The land it chose sits on 10 acres and is owned by Railey Hill Associates, according to county records. The property was most recently assessed at $631,000.
The site offers some room for growth, giving Shades of Light the option to expand by an additional 27,000 square feet.
Shades of Light declined to share how much it plans to invest in the new construction.
The project will consolidate three of Shades of Light’s facilities, all of which are nearing the end of their leases, Johnson said. Sixty-five of the company’s employees will work in the new location. Its two Richmond showrooms will remain in place at 4924 W. Broad St. and 9912 Midlothian Turnpike, as will one in Virginia Beach.
Shades of Light has operated since 1986. Johnson and Chris Menasco acquired the company in 2011 and have doubled its headcount since then.
“We have remained focused on continuing to grow the company since then and will continue to do so going forward,” Johnson said in an email.
A car parts retailer has taken over a large facility in Mechanicsville. Photos by Katie Demeria.
May was a month of big deals on industrial space in Richmond’s surrounding counties.
Locally based Richmond Bumper, which sells aftermarket car parts, purchased a 200,000-square-foot industrial facility at 8080 AMF Drive in Mechanicsville for $4.4 million.
The deal closed May 29 and marks an expansion of nearly 140,000 square feet from the company’s original home at 8820 Park Central Drive.
Richard Porter of Porter Realty Co. represented Richmond Bumper in the deal. He said the company was interested in moving because it was pressed for additional storage space and was seeking a central location for distribution. Hanover County’s low inventory tax rate was also a selling point.
Porter said it is too early to determine whether the company will use the entire 200,000 square feet itself or whether it will lease out part of it. The company “needs to get settled and operate out of the building for a while first,” Porter said in an email.
A representative with Richmond Bumper did not return requests for comment.
An entity called Atlantic Leasing Associates LLC was the seller and had originally purchased the property for about $4.2 million, according to Hanover County records. Clifford Porter and Robert Porter Jr. handled the deal on behalf of the seller.
Porter will market Richmond Bumper’s original, 62,500-square-foot building at 8820 Park Central Drive. He said distributors or office tenants will likely be interested in the facility.
Shades of Light’s plans call for more than 80,000 square feet of space with the option to expand. Elevation courtesy of NAI Eagle.
Meanwhile in Chesterfield County, a local retailer has just completed a deal to develop a new facility in Sommerville Industrial Park at 14001 Justice Road.
Shades of Light, which sells lamps, rugs and other home furnishings and has two retail showrooms in the area, signed a contract to construct an 83,000-square-foot distribution center in the park. B.K. Katherman – Railey Hill Associates will lead the development. Chris Rice of brokerage NAI Eagle assisted Shades of Light in its search for real estate.
Shades of Light co-owner Bryan Johnson said the company had been seeking a new location for more than 18 months and looked all over the area, including in Ashland, near the Richmond International Airport and in Scott’s Addition.
The land it chose sits on 10 acres and is owned by Railey Hill Associates, according to county records. The property was most recently assessed at $631,000.
The site offers some room for growth, giving Shades of Light the option to expand by an additional 27,000 square feet.
Shades of Light declined to share how much it plans to invest in the new construction.
The project will consolidate three of Shades of Light’s facilities, all of which are nearing the end of their leases, Johnson said. Sixty-five of the company’s employees will work in the new location. Its two Richmond showrooms will remain in place at 4924 W. Broad St. and 9912 Midlothian Turnpike, as will one in Virginia Beach.
Shades of Light has operated since 1986. Johnson and Chris Menasco acquired the company in 2011 and have doubled its headcount since then.
“We have remained focused on continuing to grow the company since then and will continue to do so going forward,” Johnson said in an email.