As one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing communities, Greenville is attracting an ever-increasing stream of people and businesses who want to call the area home.
For Charlotte-based Aston Properties, the energy and sense of community here are both familiar and something the company has devoted time and resources to cultivating in communities across the region.
Watching and being a part of a dynamic community’s growth is nothing new to the company, according to president and CEO George Dewey IV. Founded by his family in 1980, Aston Properties has played a role in Charlotte’s growth into the major regional hub it has become.
Dewey said one of the most exciting things about the Greenville market is it is where the Queen City was about 20 years ago. The area’s population growth, quality of life and comparative affordability make it an exciting place to invest in and help to flourish, he said.
This has been the company’s focus for more than 40 years in other communities, primarily through investing in retail shopping centers.
Most recently Aston expanded its Greenville holdings with the acquisition of McBee Station downtown. The company has four other properties in the area, including North Hills Shopping Center and Verdae Village.
Recent shifts in consumer demand have put a premium on a retail center’s convenience and the caliber of experience shopping there can provide, according to Barnes Connell, managing director.
This adds an extra layer of challenge and excitement to working in a market like Greenville, he said.
“Those two types of retail are what we see kind of as the future,” Connell said.
Where possible, the company looks for properties where both aspects can be combined.
“What we have become more accustomed to doing is trying to integrate some of the experiential type of elements into a convenience retail project,” Dewey said.
He added the company is trying to accomplish such a blending with its redevelopment of Sprouts Farmers Market in the North Hills Shopping Center through the inclusion of outdoor patios, seating areas and lighting elements.
“It’s very personal to us, and I think when you connect with the community and you get to know the people in our industry in that community and they trust you and they want to do business with you — I think that matters,” Connell said.
Aston Properties projects in the Greenville area
- McBee Station — East McBee Avenue
- North Hills Shopping Center — Pleasantburg Drive and East North Street
- Verdae Village — Verdae Boulevard
- McDaniel Village — Augusta Street
- Powdersville Plaza — state Highway 153, Powdersville
