Developing Music Lane In Austin Adds Tenants Ahead Of Opening

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — Developers of the South Austin mixed-use retail, restaurant, and office development Music Lane on Wednesday announced a number of tenants signed up ahead of the spring 2020 opening of the complex.

Initial tenants include Nak Armstrong, Manready Mercantile, Tuft & Needle, Reformation, Le Lebo, Buck Mason, SunLife Organics, Gelateria Gemelli, Aba and Gensler. While construction is still taking place at the site, officials said additional tenants are expected to be announced in the coming months.

Located at 1011 and 1009 South Congress Avenue, Music Lane consists of two three-story buildings and one four-story building — all of which are less than 60 feet tall — designed by the Austin office of Lake|Flato Architects. The development, named for the small sreet that serves as the property’s eastern border, has 163,000 square feet of leasable space and will include 25 retail, office, and restaurant tenants once fully leased, officials added.

Related story: Mediterranean Eatery Aba Set To Open In South Austin

Retail and restaurant tenants will be located on the ground floors of all three buildings with the upper floors housing mixed-uses including office space, according to a press advisory. Turnbridge Equities, a privately held real estate investment and development firm headquartered in New York with offices in Miami, Washingon, D.C., Los Angeles and Austin, and longtime Austin area developers Clark Lyda and Austin Pfiester are developing Music Lane, according to real estate officials.

Those connected to the project said Music Lane will celebrate Austin’s long and authentic connection to live music in both its tenant mix and the programming of its public spaces, creating an active community gathering space to include pedestrian-friendly paths, green space with heritage oak trees, water features, views of the Texas Capitol, and premier retail and restaurants that will reinforce and enhance the unique culture of South Congress Avenue.

“We couldn't be happier with how the development has come to life and are thrilled to be partnering with our amazing tenants,”Andrew Joblon, Managing Principal at Turnbridge Equities, said in a prepared statement. “We are excited for what is to come and believe that this project will be a complementary addition to the already vibrant South Congress corridor.”

Scheduled for completion in spring 2020, Music Lane already has signed high-profile tenants. Rendering courtesy of Lake|Flato Architects.

Developers provided details on selected Music Lane tenants. The following details are provided verbatim as sent to Patch by developers:

• Music Lane will welcome internationally recognized local fine jewelry designer Nak Armstrong, known for his experimental aesthetic and proprietary techniques of engineering the relationship between metalwork and precious stones. Launched in 2011, his hand-fabricated works have achieved numerous honors, including the CFDA for emerging talent in accessory design and praise by national press including W, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, and WWD. Pushing the boundaries of design, Armstrong’s background in architecture and fashion are evident by the way he engineers his pieces, combining strong structural integrity with the sensual flow of fabrics. His thoughtful silhouettes contain tremendous dimension and volume akin to clothing, and the mix of color is a study in tonal changes and shades. The overall results are gems and stones suspended harmoniously in a three-dimensional mosaic, allowing for highly textural and layered designs that are deceptively lightweight. Carried by exclusive retailers worldwide, including Barneys New York and GOOP Lab, Music Lane marks Nak Armstrong’s first flagship location.
• Houston-based apothecary goods, candle and apparel store Manready Mercantile will open their first Austin store at Music Lane. Manready Mercantile was created back in 2012 in a small apartment by Travis Weaver. Weaver began by making soy candles in whiskey glasses on his stove and went door-to-door selling them to show people that the American dream still exists. Determined to succeed, he expanded his small product line with other apothecary goods, as well as high-quality, custom-made leather products, also made in his home. Word traveled fast about the hungry entrepreneur, and he began selling at flea-markets and to retailers across the country before opening his brick-and-mortar shop in the heart of the Historic Heights in Houston. Considered the ultimate general goods store reflecting the values and morals that were created in rural Texas, Manready Mercantile’s Austin store will carry Manready Made goods, as well as goods from more than 100 made-in-the-USA vendors and select brands from around the world.
• Tuft & Needle, a sleep brand that offers high quality products for the bedroom at a fair price, will be joining Music Lane. Founders JT Marino and Daehee Park were two software engineers fed up with the mattress industry and saw an opportunity to revolutionize an industry to provide a simplified buying experience free of confusing buzzwords, pushy salespeople, and backwards policy. Since launching the company in 2012, Marino and Park have grown the company to a team of over 150 people working each day to bring premium sleep products at an honest cost. In 2018, they partnered with Serta Simmons Bedding, the world’s leading mattress manufacturer, to bring their combined 220 years of knowledge to their team and have continued to transform the industry with their products. Tuft & Needle is reshaping the way consumers think about sleep, mattresses, and shopping, with products like mattresses, bedding, and bedroom furniture that reflect quality craftsmanship.
• Reformation is excited to bring sustainable fashion to Music Lane this winter. Reformation is a revolutionary lifestyle brand that proves fast fashion and sustainability can coexist. The brand combines stylish, vintage-inspired designs with sustainable practices, releasing limited-edition collections for women who want to look beautiful and live sustainably. A 100% carbon, water, and waste neutral company, Reformation infuses green measures into every aspect of the business. From running a sustainable factory in Los Angeles to using deadstock and eco fabrics to tracking the environmental impact of every product, Reformation is committed to pushing the industry forward.
• New York-based luxury perfume brand Le Labo will be opening its doors in Austin at Music Lane. Founded in 2006 by Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot, Le Labo offers fine fragrances, candles, body - hair - face creations, a grooming line, and more that are plant-based, genderless, and cruelty-free. Their fragrances are crafted with thoughtful care and include signature scents such as Santal 33 that introduces the use of cardamom, iris, violet, and ambrox - which crackle in the formula and bring to a smoking wood alloy spicy, leathery, musky notes.
• Buck Mason, retailer of updated, modern American classics for daily wear, will join the lineup of retailers at Music Lane. Founded in 2013 by Sasha Koehn and Erik Allen, who were neighbors in Venice, California, Buck Mason’s mission is to make fashion less complicated, building each piece to last beyond a single season. Each design is a riff on an iconic American staple, combining old school manufacturing techniques and modern technology to make a useful and effortless wardrobe. Consistency in fit, fabric, and quality guides this hands-on approach, and much of the product is made in the USA, where you can often find Sasha and Erik on the factory floor.
• Popular juice bar and nutritional health store SunLife Organics will join Music Lane with its first location in Texas. After spending his early years suffering the “high cost of low living,” with stints of homelessness in downtown Los Angeles and recovery from drug addiction, Owner Khalil Rafati was introduced to the instantaneous benefits of juicing and superfoods and was inspired to open the doors of the first SunLife Organics in Malibu, California, in 2011, after joining forces with business partner Hayley Gorcey. SunLife Organics will bring its signature superfood shakes, custom smoothies, bowls, fresh juices, bone broth, and more to the new Austin location. Considered more than just a juice bar, SunLife Organics views each interaction as a valued opportunity to connect and make a positive impact, however big or small. The brand is committed to serving the community with the highest quality organic ingredients Mother Nature has to offer.
• East Austin gelato shop and cocktail bar Gelateria Gemelli will bring their gelato and amaro pairings to South Austin with a second location opening at Music Lane. Years ago, Owner Andrew Sabola and his best friend, both Geminis, traveled to Italy to learn how to make gelato the old school way, studying alongside the world’s best gelato makers in Bologna. While traveling throughout Italy, they learned that the best way to consume gelato was to wash it down with a negroni on the rocks or an amaro straight up. Inspired by his learnings, Sabola opened Gelateria Gemelli, named after the Italian word for “Gemini” or “twins,” upon his return. Gelateria Gemelli’s second location will bring the same beloved staple and seasonal flavors of handmade, small-batch gelato made with milk and cream from Hill Country Dairy and local suppliers like Austin Orchards, a wide selection of amaro, classic Italian cocktails, coffee, and more.
• Music Lane will also welcome Aba, a Mediterranean restaurant originally based out of Chicago’s historic Fulton Market District. This will be Chef CJ Jacobson’s third restaurant with Chicago-based restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Aba, meaning father in Hebrew, incorporates a lighter style of cooking with influences from the Mediterranean, including Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. The bar program, crafted by Liz Pearce, showcases rare Mediterranean-inspired wines and spirits.
• Also opening their doors at Music Lane is Gensler, the global architecture and design firm behind a number of high-profile local projects shaping the future of the city, such as the Austin FC Major League Soccer Stadium, Domain Northside, and planned super-high rise 6 X Guadalupe — which will be the city’s tallest tower. Managing Principal Todd Runkle launched Gensler Austin in 2007, growing the office from a staff of six to more than 100. Their portfolio of work spans every major industry and includes office buildings, hotels, mixed-use developments, master planning, and workplace interiors. Founded in 1965, Gensler has more than 6,000 professionals across 48 locations worldwide who leverage the power of design to make the places where people live, work and play more impactful, inspiring, and resilient.

Scheduled for completion in spring 2020, Music Lane already has signed high-profile tenants. Rendering courtesy of Lake|Flato Architects.

ABOUT MUSIC LANE

Named for the small street that serves as the property’s eastern border, Music Lane is a 1.5-acre mixed-use development project comprised of three buildings located along South Congress Avenue at Academy Drive in Austin, Texas. Designed by Lake|Flato Architects, Music Lane has 163,000 square feet of leasable retail, restaurant, and office space, underground parking for 496 vehicles, and is slated for completion in the spring of 2020. Music Lane will celebrate Austin’s long and authentic connection to live music in both its tenant mix and the programming of its public spaces, creating an active community gathering space to include pedestrian-friendly paths, green space with heritage oak trees, water features, views of the Texas Capitol, and premier retail and restaurants that will reinforce and enhance the unique culture of South Congress Avenue.

ABOUT LAKE|FLATO ARCHITECTS

Since its founding in 1984, Lake|Flato has designed buildings that respond to the culture and climate of each unique place. The firm believes in creating environments that enrich communities and nurture life through its work. It has been honored with over 200 design awards, including the American Institute of Architects Firm of the Year Award in 2004 and ten Top Ten Project Awards from the AIA Committee on the Environment. In 2013, the firm received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture and in 2014, Lake|Flato was inducted into the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame. Lake|Flato placed 6th in Architect Magazine’s 2015 Top 50—an annual ranking of the best U.S. firms—and was recently named one of the Ten Most Innovative Architecture Firms in the World by Fast Company. The design of Music Lane is led by the Austin office of Lake|Flato.