Stamford complex reaches full capacity
STAMFORD — The Village, a mixed-use complex that opened this year in the city’s South End, has reached full capacity — with new arrivals including furnishings-and-design firm MillerKnoll, the property’s management announced Thursday.
MillerKnoll has leased 25,476 square feet for its global retail business, with the company planning to take occupancy in 2022. Other new tenants at the approximately 133,000square-foot waterfront property at 860 Canal St., include investment firms TSG Consumer Partners, Avesi Partners and Jadian Capital and staffing company Insight Global.
“We feel lucky to be part of such an incredible community here and are excited for all that’s ahead as the building starts to open its office doors,” Brent Montgomery, founder of The Village and CEO of conglomerate Wheelhouse, which is one of the other tenants, said in a statement. “When you bring together great people from different paths to collaborate, the sky is the limit.”
The new offices will complement MillerKnoll’s corporate headquarters in Zeeland, Mich.
MillerKnoll’s name’s reflects Herman Miller’s acquisition of Knoll in July. MillerKnoll’s other businesses include Design Within Reach, which has a studio at 711 Canal St., a few hundred yards from The Village. Design Within Reach’s studio will remain at 711 Canal, but MillerKnoll’s retail offices at the same address will be relocated to The Village.
“We are looking forward to relocating to a space that will provide us with opportunities for continued growth and collaboration,” Debbie Propst, president of global retail for MillerKnoll, said in a statement. “Stamford has been home to our retail group for many years, and when evaluating the current and future needs of our evolving business, The Village’s location, suite of offerings and tenant mix made for an ideal home for the company.”
In related philanthropy, MillerKnoll made a $25,000 donation to fund a one-year scholarship for a student at the nearby Waterside School. At the same time, commercial real estate firm Newmark, The Village’s exclusive leasing agent, donated $25,000 of its brokerage fees to Waterside School.
Since opening in the spring, The Village has emerged as one of the busiest mixed-use hubs in Connecticut. Existing tenants include Wheelhouse, which has investment, real estate, entertainment and marketing businesses.
The Village’s developer is Wheelhouse Properties, which is owned and run by Courtney Montgomery. She is married to Brent Montgomery, who is known for his reality TV shows that include “Pawn Stars” and “Fixer Upper.”
The Village cost approximately $50 million to build following the Montgomerys’ $7.6 million purchase of 860 Canal in 2017 through an entity known as Stamford Media Village. Redevelopment has entailed a topto-bottom renovation at 860 Canal. The structure is more than 100 years old and once operated as a wire factory.
“Brent and Courtney Montgomery and their team at Wheelhouse are true visionaries for the region as they were able to rehabilitate an underutilized asset to create something reminiscent of space one would find in the Meatpacking District or SoHo (in Manhattan),” Newmark Executive Vice President James Ritman said in a statement. “Their vision has paid off as the property quickly leased up during the pandemic.
Other tenants at The Village include reality-TV producer ITV America; Connecticut Innovations, the state-chartered venture capital organization; investment firm MYCOR Capital; executive-search firm Kindred Partners; restaurant The Wheel; and Cisco Brewers.