Press Release

Raleigh, N.C. – Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 –Empire Properties on Thursday purchased the collection of mostly historic buildings at the corner of East Hargett and South Wilmington streets in downtown Raleigh.

The most historic space, 104 E. Hargett St., is home to Nicolson’s Barber and Style Shop. The corner space at 201 S. Wilmington St. is leased by Tattoo Supreme. The other spaces at 205-209 S. Wilmington St., while in the Moore Square Historic District, are not considered contributing buildings to the district. Empire is working with the City of Raleigh on a development plan that will include a 6-story, mixed-use building on the non-historic Wilmington Street sites. The goal is to restore the last building on the Wilmington Street side back to a contributing structure.

Once the restoration and new construction project is complete, the spaces will be leased for retail, office and residential uses. The total investment is expected to exceed $9 million once completed.

For many years, the space along Wilmington Street was known for its main tenant, Taz’s convenience store. The store closed this week. The corner had been underutilized for decades, with virtually no maintenance, care or financial investment to stave off deterioration.

Empire Properties was founded 30 years ago with a single restoration project of a historic space in downtown Raleigh. Today, the company owns more than 80 buildings in downtown Raleigh and Durham with more than 1 million square feet of office, retail, warehouse and restaurant space.