Almost twenty years ago, Dr. Anthony Wallace founded New Direction Christian Center, which grew into a large church with Christian school and many programs.  For a period of time, the church occupied a 22,000 square foot building at 6524 44th Street in South Sacramento, which is now occupied by Bayside of South Sacramento.

Dr. Anthony Wallace

Dr. Anthony Wallace

Unfortunately, due to financial hardships, New Direction couldn’t hang on to the building it once owned due to the crushing recession.  In the years since, New Direction has rented different facilities for church services, including a long-term shared arrangement with a Seventh-Day Adventist church and for the past two years through Sunday-only rentals of the historic Guild Theater in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento.  New Direction has always been blessed with a place to meet, but its members have longed for the day when they can once again utilize their own building throughout the entire week.

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Small business expansion in Sacramento area

Only days apart, Sacramento Elite Patrol and Bottles & More both closed on separate warehouse deals to expand their businesses in the midst of a struggling economic recovery. One business acquired its very own office/warehouse building in South Sacramento totaling 9,266 sq.ft. with SBA loan financing, while the other jumped from a home based business operation into a 10,872 sq.ft. leased warehouse space in West Sacramento. Clearly, there are some bright spots in the market if you know where to look. 

Click here for related story by the Sacramento Business Journal.

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Locally owned Armstrong Plumbing has faithfully served Sacramento commercial and residential customers for 50 years.  What better way to celebrate its golden anniversary than by acquiring its very own commercial building.  The new facility, at 2551 Albatross Way, is only 1/3 mile away (as the crow files) from the company’s former location, just on the other side of Capital City Freeway (off El Camino Ave). 

Click here for related articles by Ben van der Meer of the Sacramento Business Journal dated  5/28/14  5/30/14  6/6/14

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has a certain following in Sacramento with approximately ten separate facilities spread throughout the area; yet North Sacramento has been under served… until now.  This month, another BJJ operator will open its doors in North Natomas, but with one significant distinction.  It will sport the Gracie family name.  

Those familiar with BJJ will immediately recognize the value of this franchise, which started in 1914 when “a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu champion Esai Maeda migrated to Brazil, where he was instrumental in establishing a Japanese immigrant community.  His efforts were aided by Gastão Gracie, a Brazilian scholar and politician of Scottish descent.  As an expression of his gratitude for Gracie’s assistance, Maeda taught the Brazilian’s oldest son Carlos the essential secrets of the ancient martial arts technique.  Carlos taught Maeda’s techniques to his four brothers, and in 1925 they opened the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy in Brazil.”

Click here for related story by the Sacramento Business Journal.

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East West Commercial Real Estate is pleased to announce its successful relocation of Jackson Sports Academy (JSA) to McClellan Park in Sacramento County.  Effective December 1, 2012, JSA is taking over 72,000 square feet of primarily warehouse space, which represents only a small portion of the 8.5 million square feet of commercial real estate that comprises McClellan Park.

The new space will provide sufficient room for 12 volleyball courts, which is currently the predominant sport for JSA.  Other sports to be offered will include basketball, soccer and tennis.  According to Dwayne Jackson, Executive Director of JSA, “we’re most excited about the massive parking lot, large upstairs offices with training room, hospitality suite and parent’s lounge, 38-foot high ceilings, plus free-span building without interference from structural support poles.”

Click here for related article by the Sacramento Business Journal or recent news story by Good Day Sacramento.

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South Sacramento’s Southgate Plaza is once again the subject of serious interest in commercial real estate circles.  First, it was the unfortunate departure of Walmart in 2009, Vacant Commercial Real Estate in Sacramentowhich resulted in the closing of its 135,000 square foot retail store on the southeast corner of Florin Road and Franklin Blvd.  The approximate 300,000 square foot commercial shopping center was decimated as remaining tenants gradually moved out due to lack of foot traffic.  Following a foreclosure on the property just one year later, the new operator and Sacramento commercial real estate brokers have been desperately trying to attract new tenants (see related article for progress update). Unfortunately, Walmart still controls the lease and is now doing its best to block a subsequent retailer from taking over its space for competitive reasons.  County of Sacramento officials are furious and pressuring Walmart to reconsider its position for the good of the community.  Brian Jacks of East West Commercial Real Estate’s Sacramento office was quoted by Kelly Johnson in an article, published in the Sacramento Business Journal.  In addition, News 10 ran this story about the subject.  

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Empty restaurant buildings continue to sit idle throughout much of the greater Sacramento area.  Not so for the old Jolly Burger located at 7150 Auburn Blvd (historic Route 40) in Citrus Heights.  Under a new operator, the local burger stand will re-open with the same name on Saturday, November 10, 2012.

Jack and Sue Darting were the original proprietors of Jolly Burger for many years and worked hard to create a memorable dining experience.  In addition to friendly staff, customers were always greeted by a three dimensional cheesy hamburger affixed atop the building… one of Jack’s personal creations. The Dartings offered good old fashioned quality food including burgers, sandwiches, frosties, sundaes and shakes.  Their food was always a hit with the locals and especially students from Sylvan Elementary and Middle School, right across the street.  One can still find amazing consumer reviews on various websites like Yelp, Urban Spoon and Insider Pages.

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The last few years of economic distress has clearly taken its toll on the Sacramento commercial real estate market.  One prime example involves the 2009 closing of a 130,000 square foot Wal-Mart facility in Southgate Plaza, located on the southeast corner of Florin Road & Franklin Blvd in South Sacramento.

Sacramento Commercial Real Estate Digital Sign 2

As the main anchor for this 300,000 square foot community center, Wal-Mart’s departure ultimately created a mass exodus of tenants who had successfully lived off its draw of local shoppers for many years.  Holes began to appear with “FOR LEASE” signs being posted by a property manager anxious to re-lease the empty spaces.

Click here for related story by Sandy Nax of the Sacramento Business Journal.

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East West Commercial’s Regional Vice President, Brian Jacks, is featured in the Sacramento Business Journal for the recent lease of Hacker Lab. Mark Anderson of the Sacramento Business Journal writes,” Gina Lujan took a big leap of faith Monday, agreeing to move Hacker Lab in September from its 850-square-foot office to a 10,480-square-foot building in downtown Sacramento. Hacker Lab rents desk space and office space to startups ranging from software developers to web designers. The collective shares some equipment and some of the tenants mutually support others with equipment and expertise.” Click Here to continue reading!

Get ready for an infusion of entrepreneurship and software development that is now steadily growing in the Capital region.

Early this year, Gina Lujan (Founder & CEO of Hacker Lab), a native of Sacramento, left the Bay Area to return home.  After successfully creating a collaborative workspace environment for software developers in Berkeley, she decided to replicate the business model and expand the vision in Sacramento. Around March 2012, Hacker Lab signed a commercial real estate lease for 850 square feet of second floor office space above Pangaea Café, located at 2743 Franklin Blvd in Sacramento.  The space was used to provide rented desks and/or offices for local software developers who wanted to work in a tech community environment.

* Click here for Good Day Sacramento news story and Sacramento Business Journal article.

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