All posts by Brooke

Tenant Highlight

Juneteenth Tenant Highlight – Natashia White-Pass

As Juneteenth approaches, we are pleased to announce our upcoming series of Tenant Highlights where we will be shining a spotlight on a few of the extraordinary Black-owned businesses that are an integral part of the shopping centers our company manages.

Each post offers a glimpse into the stories behind these businesses, shedding light on the inspiring journeys, unique products, and services they offer. We are hoping to dive deep into their entrepreneurial spirit, their impact on the community, and the remarkable individuals driving their success.

The first of these highlights is for Natashia White-Pass, also known as the First Lady of Brushes, who is the owner and operator of Blushed by Natashia. Natashia is a licensed esthetician and professional makeup artist. The Newark, NJ, native is known for her natural glam makeup looks and natural enhancements.

A proud wife and mother of two, Natashia began her professional makeup business, Blushed by Natashia, in 2016. She later opened her second business, Face Café Glam Bar Raleigh, a premier full-service beauty bar, in June of 2018. Blushed by Natashia is located within Face Café Glam Bar Raleigh where Natashia and her team provide facials, eyebrow waxing, teeth whitening, and makeup services. Natashia says she has always had a love for skincare and makeup. Before beginning her entrepreneurship journey, Natashia worked in accounting. With a nudge from her family, friends, and coworkers, she left the corporate world to begin her entrepreneurship journey.

Natashia says Face Café is a “place to come in and just be peaceful.” Her goal is to “educate men and women of color on how to care for their skin.” The business owner relies on her faith to keep her going. She says she has to “stay prayed up” on this entrepreneurship journey. Today, Face Café houses other entrepreneurs in the beauty space – from hair and nails to massages and more.

Blushed by Natashia has a strong recurring clientele, but the journey to get there was all but easy. Like many small businesses, the pandemic proved to be a hard time. Natashia recounts that there were many days where it was just her at the café. She believes the right clients enter the facility and support her business. “If you are good and confident at what you do, there will always be people coming to you,” Natashia says. She prides herself on creating “confident everlasting beauty” for her guests with each visit.

With Juneteenth on the horizon, Natashia says it’s all about “celebrating and recognizing all the things we’ve done and created.” In honor of the holiday, she is delighted to provide a promotional offer of 15% off any one service of choice during the month of June. To book Natashia, visit her website and use promo code “yorkproperties” at checkout.

York Properties is delighted to provide property management and leasing services to Stony Brook Shopping Center in Raleigh, NC, where Blushed by Natashia is located.

Company News

International Community Association Managers Day

On this International Community Association Managers Day we want to take a moment to recognize our Association Management team and the outstanding job they do day in and day out.

They handle a wide range of responsibilities, from financial management and maintenance coordination to resident communication and rule enforcement. Their efforts ensure that our residents have a safe, well-maintained, and vibrant place to call home.

So, on this special day, let’s raise a toast to our incredible Association Management team for their unwavering commitment and the countless ways they make our communities thrive.

Anna Claire Price · Director of Association Management
Virginia Davis · Sr. Association Manager
Julie Price · Assistant Association Manager
Mary Thaxton · Association Manager
Payne Eller · Association Manager
Beth Boyer · Assistant Association Manager
Carol Slaven · Association Manager
Alison Lipschitz · Association Manager
Mary Kraft · Association Manager

Cheers to our outstanding team!

Market Insights

Raleigh CRE Crystal Ball Report 3Q 2023

Last month, Oak City CRE (Commercial Real Estate) asked a group of Raleigh brokers to share their guesses about where the Raleigh market is going to be in 3Q 2023. 24 brokers responded. That survey resulted in the first Raleigh CRE Crystal Ball Report. This unique report is meant to try and look into the future.

The brokers project a tenant market for leasing activity and a buyer market for asset sales in 3Q 2023. For the leasing market, the report predicts that office will be a strong tenant market and industrial will be a strong landlord market. For the asset sales market, the data shows that office will be a strong buyer market and industrial will be a strong seller market.

The report also includes a Leader Board that ranks brokerage firms by the number of qualified submissions they send in for the survey. York Properties tied for 5th place.

Oak City CRE is an online platform created by Jed Byrne to connect and identify any projects he creates related to Raleigh and North Carolina. In addition to a blog, A/E/C job board, and upcoming events page, Oak City CRE offers the Top Five, a weekly real estate newsletter focused on development in Raleigh that curates a list of the top five pieces of CRE content that Jed finds. Jed also runs the DirtNC Podcast, where he talks about the “places and spaces of North Carolina and the people who make them awesome.”

Read the full report here: 3Q2023 Crystal Ball Report Final.

Employee Spotlight

Meet Our People

Office Manager and Receptionist Cindy Franks is the glue of the office. July will make a year since Cindy joined our team, but she agrees with us that it feels like much longer!

Cindy is a North Carolina native from Fuquay-Varina. When asked about her work life, Cindy says that her favorite part is the people. She appreciates how everyone is willing to help each other out. “The minute I started, I didn’t feel like I was new. I’ve never been treated like that at any job anywhere before.” Cindy heard about the position from a fellow colleague. With 12 years of HOA and accounting experience in real estate, Cindy knew it would be a great fit.

Outside of the office, Cindy loves to spend time with her husband of 28 years. They have settled in the Garner area, but venture out to try new restaurants on occasion. Cindy also enjoys scrapbooking, painting, yard work, and spending time with her children and grandchildren whenever she can. Cindy and her husband have a Shih Tzu named Bella – short for Isabella Swan, the main character from the hit movie Twilight.

We are very grateful for Cindy and all the work she does. We look forward to her journey with us!

Tenant Highlight

Café Carolina & Bakery to Move Locations and Introduce New Café Concept

Café Carolina & Bakery is on the move! Later this summer, the Village District location will close its doors – but fear not. We are very pleased to announce that a Grand Reopening is scheduled for September 1st at the corner of Oberlin and Clark Avenue (formerly So·Ca).

In addition to the fancy space upgrade, General Manager Ron Hines tells us they plan to extend café hours and add beer and wine service in the future! Get ready for a whole new Café Carolina experience.

York-broker Lynne Worth says that exciting plans are in the works for the existing Café Carolina space.  More about that later… Stay tuned!

Client Highlight

York Welcomes Seaboard Station as New Client

York is proud to announce we will provide a host of services for the commercial tenants at Seaboard Station. Seaboard Station is a multi-phase, $500 million mixed-use development located beside William Peace University at the intersection of Peace Street and Halifax Street.

Phase One of the development is almost complete. This will include an apartment complex with 298 units and 30,000 square feet of street-level retail space. The second phase will consist of a Hyatt House hotel, 55,000 square feet of retail space, and two apartment buildings. The details of the third phase have not yet been released. When complete, Seaboard Station will include nearly 600 residences and over 130,000 square feet of street-level retail, restaurants, and entertainment concepts.

In addition to property management services, York will also handle website design, development, and hosting, pay-per-click advertising campaign management, paid social campaign management, and special events for Seaboard Station.

To learn more about the project and its current tenants, visit Seaboard Station’s official website.

Client Highlight

Social District Expands Toward Raleigh Union Station

Last August, the City of Raleigh proudly introduced its inaugural social district known as Sip n’ Stroll.

Thanks to its tremendous success during the pilot phase, the City Council has decided to expand and improve the district. They approved the following noteworthy changes, scheduled to take effect on August 15, 2023:

  • The inclusion of the Warehouse District and Hillsborough Street, providing an enhanced and diverse experience for visitors.
  • The operating hours have been extended by an additional hour, allowing patrons to enjoy the district’s offerings from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on a daily basis.
  • To further improve the district’s infrastructure, the council has taken measures to install additional permanent signage, ensuring clear navigation, and increased the number of trash and recycling bins.

Of note is that Moore Square and Nash Square are not part of the expansion area.

York is pleased to provide property management, venue management, and leasing services at Raleigh Union Station.

Fun Stuff

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month begins today!

According to the CDC, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.”

Here at York, we believe our York-life balance helps to foster a work community of happy and mentally healthy employees. But we understand and recognize that sometimes things get stressful, so we hope our team will enjoy, learn, and reset from the experiences we have planned this month!

Market Insights

Retail Vacancy Rate at a Historic Low in Raleigh Market

According to a recent CoStar report, the Raleigh retail market is seeing high demand and limited supply as a result of population growth and strong consumer spending. Net absorption over the past year has been around 190,000 SF, while move-outs have been lower than average. However, only -490,000 SF of new retail space has been delivered in the same time period. This has led to historic lows in vacancies and availabilities at 2.2% and 3.1%, respectively.   The report states multiple tenant leasing agents have commented that the market’s absorption would be significantly higher if more space were available for tenants to move into. There is a particular lack of second-generation space, and first-generation space is challenging for tenants to move into due to expensive upfits and long construction schedules. Raleigh’s steady population growth supports the construction pipeline, which is currently the largest it has been in over a decade, with 1.9 million SF of retail space under construction.