Backcountry to Anchor Collection 14 in DC With First East Coast Store
By Keith Loria September 20, 2021 6:21 pm
reprints
Backcountry.com, an online outdoor clothing retailer, has signed a 11,600-square-foot lease to become the anchor tenant at Collection 14, a $130 million, mixed-use redevelopment of the former Martha’s Table headquarters in Washington, D.C.
This marks Utah-based Backcountry’s first brick-and-mortar store on the East Coast, joining its flagship store in West Valley City, Utah. The D.C. store will consist of two floors and include a custom bike store with retail bays.
Back in 2019, D.C.-based real estate developer Madison Investments and New York-based investment firm Atalaya Capital Management acquired multiple properties from Martha’s Table along the 14th Street Corridor for $40 million, with plans to construct the mixed-use development.
When completed, Collection 14 will include 25,000 square feet of retail space, 233 apartments, 5,300 square feet of office space, and 4,000 square feet of event space. The first phase of the project will be delivered in the next week, and includes all of the retail, event space and first four floors of residential units. The rest of the project is slated to be completed in the next 30 days.
Backcountry is the first retailer signed to Collection 14, and others are expected to be announced shortly.
“We’ve been very deliberate with our retail strategy, very focused on bringing a unique operator that’s going to be not just another restaurant on 14th Street, but one that’s going to have more of a daytime presence and be more of an amenity to the entire neighborhood,” Omeade Hekmat, Madison Investments’ chief operating officer, told Commercial Observer.
Collection 14 is located at 2102-2124 14th Street, and 1400 West Street, in northwest D.C., along the 14th Street retail corridor between V and W streets.
“14th Street has always been one of the more vibrant locations in D.C. — it’s very transit oriented, you have the Metro, and plenty of walkability to restaurants and retail,” Hekmat said. “We feel there’s been a nice rebound since COVID impacted the local operation, and this is a really good market and we’re seeing a lot of activity.”
District Equities is handling leasing for Collection 14.
The store is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2022, based on factors, such as permit approval for the buildout.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
