A space in the West Iles Business Center is currently undergoing renovations in preparation for a new tenant, Tacology 101, although it’s unclear whether this will be an expansion or relocation of the existing downtown restaurant.
Ben Call, a broker with The Real Estate Group, was the developer for the strip center, which was completed in 2017. Daycare franchise Little Minds Learning Center was initially planned as the anchor tenant, but Call said that the business “paid rent for two months and never opened at all.” After what he described as a “long, drawn-out court battle,” he said the owners of the center decided to “move in a different direction,” which led to discussions with several potential tenants to take over the space, including James Hamilton, owner of Tacology 101.
The suite that had already been built out for Little Minds was 6,000 square feet, and Call said Tacology 101 will occupy approximately two-thirds of it, giving Hamilton significantly more space than he has at his current restaurant.
Tacology 101 has expanded in the past, first with a partnership to offer food service at Buzz Bomb Brewing and later in a space next to Floyd’s Thirst Parlor. However, Hamilton told SBJ in an April 2019 interview that while both Buzz Bomb and Floyds do a good business, it didn’t translate into customers for Munchies by Tacology 101, as the spin-off restaurant was called. “We never got busy enough to sustain the business,” he said at the time, explaining his decision to focus on his core business and expand seating at his primary location, 219 N. Fifth St.
Call said the space at 3262-3266 W. Iles Ave. should be ready for occupancy within the next two or three months. “We’re fortunate to be able to salvage the bathrooms (from the Little Minds space), but of course it will need changes, since it’s a restaurant now,” he said.
Call referred questions about plans for the downtown location to Hamilton, who declined comment when reached by phone. Call said he is in discussions with another potential tenant for the remaining 2,200 square feet in the center, but the lease has not been finalized.
