Santa Ana’s 4th Street continues to see traction, as the largest private property owner in the city’s downtown area remains aggressive about testing new concepts in the central business district.
The food hall 4th Street Market continues to ink new deals, recently bowing Faka’s Island Grill and a sandwich shop on the way. The idea behind the hall is to offer a community gathering space, while also providing opportunity to emerging or even established restauranteurs looking to test new ideas under short-term leases.
The market can get people set up in as short as a week and bakes in operational support to vendors, charging a base rent that includes hood and grease cleaning, cold and dry storage, and an inventory manager that delivers food daily and also conducts inspections.
“We built it as an anchor for the downtown,” said Ryan Chase, founder and CEO of the 4th Street Market and principal of real estate firm S&A Management. “At the time, there was not a lot of what I would call third spaces or places where you could hang out. Somewhere you can go and you don’t have to buy anything.”
Twenty-four residential units are currently being developed above the Market, a project roughly nine months out, Chase said.
The real estate executive, who represents the third generation at S&A Management, also hinted at another project in downtown now in the works that is somewhat comparable to the Market, although unrelated to food.
Streetwear Signs
Elsewhere, Chase contends the area is seeing the buds of a potential high street for streetwear in the making.
Global streetwear brand Stussy’s opening late last year of a shop stocking archival pieces helped. There are also streetwear retailers RIF.OC, a reseller; and the incoming sneaker and apparel boutique Bait.
“It’s validation that we’re becoming a destination for retail—that, kind of, urban retail,” Chase said of the deals on the fashion side.
His firm is also working on converting one space into a dedicated place for pop-ups.
In short, there’s plenty going on in downtown as Chase described himself as a landlord willing to try even the seemingly craziest ideas in recognition of the current operating environment, noting if “you don’t adapt, you don’t survive.”
