Artists develop multimillion dollar riverside property

A group of artists and investors purchased a parcel on Riverside Drive earlier this month, and they plan to rent the 108,850 square feet of warehouse space to woodworkers, glass blowers and other artists.

The 4-acre parcel, 750 Riverside Drive, sold at the end of April for $2.2 million. It sits at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Broadway, near UNC Asheville and The Bywater bar.

Rick Eckerd, a longtime Asheville resident and glass artist, met Brent Starck, a woodworker, while the two were looking for real estate for their respective pursuits. They decided to collaborate, along with a roster of investors that includes commercial real estate adviser Eddie Dewey, an architect and a civil engineer.

Eckerd came to Asheville more than two decades ago after a stint at Penland School of Crafts. During his time here, he's been involved with numerous Asheville projects, including Highland Brewing, Grovewood Gallery, Wedge Brewing and the Asheville Art Museum.

"We're a group of like-minded individuals who aren't necessarily big on profits," Eckerd said. "Artists are as important as anything to what has made this town happen."

The property contains two large warehouses. In the building at the southern end of the parcel, Eckerd plans to establish Riverglass, a fine art, educational glass blowing nonprofit, and Starck will open a collaborative woodworking studio.

Eckerd said the close proximity of the creators will energize everyone involved.

Starck, who operated Drift Studio in Madison, Wisconsin, before moving south, said the space is geared toward makers who use heavy equipment. "It's nice to have a space where you can actually have tools," he said. "It would be hard to have a wood studio in a place where everybody else was painting or writing because wood shops are dirty and noisy."

He envisions a "community that accepts dirt and mess."

The southern building previously housed a factory that manufactured wood pallets. On the northern end of the parcel, a slightly larger building is already partially rented. Astral, a company that designs and manufactures kayaking gear, will remain in the space. The other half of the building has retail potential, the partners agree, but they're not certain what it will become.

Whoever leases that space, Starck said, they'll likely make something. He doesn't expect to rent to a boutique clothing store or something of that nature. "It's going to be more about building the right culture rather than what people make," he said.

The partners agree that the property's $2.2 million price tag sounds large, but the cost per square foot of the purchase — about $20 — should keep the rents affordable.

Starck, who had a previous career in software, said rising property costs in Asheville will make these kinds of art-based real estate deals unlikely in coming years.

"The writing is on the wall," he said. "In not too long, it would be difficult to do this."