Cary
Some Cary residents might remember the old Rogers Restaurant and Motel that once stood on East Chatham Street, down the street from The Cary theater.
Once, movies were projected on a plain wall of the building. The restaurant was a spot for wedding receptions, dinners and a place for local politicians to announce their campaigns.
The Rogers Restaurant, owned and operated by Billy and Barbara Rogers, closed in 1991 after more than 30 years.
Now, the building is being redeveloped with seven new tenants set to bring more dining, shops and offices to downtown Cary this fall.
The new 50,000-square-foot space comprises two buildings: Rogers West and Rogers East, connected by an atrium-style lobby.
The two parcels were purchased for $1.2 million in 2018 and 2019 by Northwoods Associates, owned by George Jordan III. The developer, Chatham Street Commercial, the company of his nephew, Jordan Gussenhoven, is behind other projects downtown including Meridian East Chatham, Mid-Town Square, and the future Jordan project on the opposite end of Chatham Street.
“In addition to bringing exciting restaurant and retail offerings, we are committed to bringing offices back to Cary’s historic business core,” Gussenhoven said in a statement. “Their additions will help to establish downtown Cary as both a hub for entrepreneurs and start-ups, as well as a location for corporate headquarters.”
A Japanese restaurant, boutiques, salon & work space
The future tenants of the 27,000 square foot Rogers West building include Gentleman’s Corner, an upscale men’s clothing store; Gail and Grace, a women’s clothing boutique; and (in) tandem salon.
Gentleman’s Corner originated in Pinehurst in 1978 with other locations in Wilmington and Palm Beach, Florida. Their first Cary location is on Edinburgh Drive in the MacGregor Village shopping center.
The shopping center is also home to Cary’s first location of Lindzy Plott’s (in) tandem salon.
Downtown Cary will be Gail and Grace’s second location in western Wake County after its first location opened in Apex. Soon, the store will expand to Fuquay-Varina.
The tenants will occupy the ground floor, while the two upper floors will house Cary Founded, the newest location of the Founded Community. The organization is an office suites, co-working and entrepreneurial group with four locations in Raleigh.
The ground floor of the 22,000-square-foot, red brick Rogers East building will house Japanese restaurant Sono Sushi and Hodge & Kittrell Sotheby’s International Realty. Downtown Cary will be Sono Sushi’s second location; the current location is in Downtown RAleigh.
The two upper floors will house civil and environmental engineering firm WithersRavenel. The Cary-based group was founded 40 years ago and has locations in Wilmington and Asheville.
In addition to the buildings, Northwoods Associates, Chatham Street Commercial and the town of Cary plan to restrict Rogers Alley to pedestrians, adding pavers, street lamps and overhead market lights;
A 1,300-square-foot space and an 800-square-foot space remain available in Rogers West and Rogers East, respectively. The leasing office is real estate investment firm CRBE.
This story was originally published April 25, 2023, 4:23 PM.
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