After more than two decades of serving hungry patrons in the Magic City, a downtown staple is moving to a new community, and that’s because the building on the corner of Third Avenue and 22nd Street North has a new owner.The owner of Magic City Grille said he’s sad about leaving the space, but he sees it as a new opportunity to grow and expand their brand.“We’ve been here for 25 years,” Magic City Grille owner Reggie White said, “so it’s a bittersweet moment. A lot of people coming in , ‘Oh, we thought you guys were closed. We read a news article that you guys sold the building,’” White said. “When that news article came out last year, it definitely affected the business.”Magic City Grille, Bizarre Coffee Bar and Robert Hill Custom Tailors are moving out. The building where they rent space in Birmingham’s Central District is under new ownership. “It has changed ownership a lot, probably has been in the past ten years five times,” White said.Cornell Wesley with the City of Birmingham’s Innovation and Economic Opportunity Department said the city never wants to see businesses move out of the area. That’s why the city council is offering Retention Incentives for Success and Expansion loans and grants to set entrepreneurs up for success.“We are pro-Birmingham,” Wesley said. “We’re pro our own businesses and our homegrown businesses and we’re going to pay specific attention to their success and be intentional in ensuring that they remain here in our community.”But after 25 years, White is jumping at a new opportunity.“We have a great opportunity of moving and relocating the restaurant to a new location in Bessemer,” White said.White and the new owners couldn’t come to an agreement on a new lease.“There are some verbiage and some things that we wanted in the lease and it just didn’t work out,” White said.The city has given out $50,000 in grant money to Chef Erica Barrett. She owns SOCU Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar. As for the other businesses, they’re keeping their future plans a secret for right now.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
After more than two decades of serving hungry patrons in the Magic City, a downtown staple is moving to a new community, and that’s because the building on the corner of Third Avenue and 22nd Street North has a new owner.
The owner of Magic City Grille said he’s sad about leaving the space, but he sees it as a new opportunity to grow and expand their brand.
“We’ve been here for 25 years,” Magic City Grille owner Reggie White said, “so it’s a bittersweet moment. A lot of people coming in [saying], ‘Oh, we thought you guys were closed. We read a news article that you guys sold the building,’” White said. “When that news article came out last year, it definitely affected the business.”
Magic City Grille, Bizarre Coffee Bar and Robert Hill Custom Tailors are moving out. The building where they rent space in Birmingham’s Central District is under new ownership.
“It has changed ownership a lot, probably has been in the past ten years five times,” White said.
Cornell Wesley with the City of Birmingham’s Innovation and Economic Opportunity Department said the city never wants to see businesses move out of the area. That’s why the city council is offering Retention Incentives for Success and Expansion loans and grants to set entrepreneurs up for success.
“We are pro-Birmingham,” Wesley said. “We’re pro our own businesses and our homegrown businesses and we’re going to pay specific attention to their success and be intentional in ensuring that they remain here in our community.”
But after 25 years, White is jumping at a new opportunity.
“We have a great opportunity of moving and relocating the restaurant to a new location in Bessemer,” White said.
White and the new owners couldn’t come to an agreement on a new lease.
“There are some verbiage and some things that we wanted in the lease and it just didn’t work out,” White said.
The city has given out $50,000 in grant money to Chef Erica Barrett. She owns SOCU Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar. As for the other businesses, they’re keeping their future plans a secret for right now.
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