There’s a new and perhaps surprising occupant for the former Abode Venue space
With the pandemic, it’s hard to know the future of offices in Wichita, but the commercial brokerage firm NAI Martens is banking on it in more ways than one.
The longtime firm, which always has been located in or near downtown, is moving the brokerage part of its business from the Martens Cos. headquarters on Broadway just south of Douglas to the former Abode Venue building at 1330 E. Douglas in the heart of the Douglas Design District.
“We questioned if this was the right time for us to do this because of COVID,” said senior vice president Jeff Englert.
“It did make us a little more cautious. A year ago at this time, we would have said no, we’re not going to do that because there were so many unknowns.”
Now, though, Englert said there are a lot of positives that are prompting the move. First, while commercial business briefly slowed at the start of the pandemic, it then bounced back, as did investment real estate.
“It came back pretty strong, pretty quick.”
CEO Steve Martens said most everyone if not everyone at the firm wanted to continue working in an office setting, too.
“We’re a very relationship-driven industry, and I think that while Zoom and calls and remote work can get you by, you have to have the face-to-face discussions and touchpoints to be able to effectively negotiate real estate deals,” he said.
Other companies under the Martens umbrella are remaining at the current office at 435 S. Broadway. That includes Martens Appraisal, Hospitality Management, Hospitality Development of America, Receivership Services and Huffman Corridor Consulting.
The 10,000-square-foot former Abode space, which started as the Abode Home furniture store, is a giant shell currently. Thomas Grey Interiors and 3ten Architecture are redesigning the space, and Icon Structures is the contractor.
NAI Martens will use all but 2,300 square feet of the building. It will lease the rest to another business. That space will be on the market soon.
Englert said he and others at the firm like the Design District’s vibe in general and how easy it is to get in and out of the area. He said door-side parking is another plus.
“We’re in and out a lot.”
This change comes after four NAI Martens senior vice presidents — Englert, Grant Glasgow, Kris Wessel and Nathan Farha — bought a majority stake in the firm in 2019. Englert said they’ve been discussing the move for a couple of years.
Steve Martens will have an office at the new space and the Martens Cos. headquarters. He said it’s a “pretty short hop” between the two.
“I’m excited about this change in our company.”