What does it take to fill a block that sat empty for years? On Hendricks Avenue, the answer so far has been small rooms, patient operators and a city grant that pays off only if the doors stay open. The four buildings at 1035 to 1039 Hendricks Ave. sat empty for years after they were sold. Since late July they have gained an Italian trattoria and a wine bar, and a salon has approval to move in. In the same stretch of weeks, two of the neighborhood's larger hangouts closed.
Four Buildings That Waited
Reddi-Arts sold the property in 2021. The Jacksonville Daily Record reported in 2021 that Kings Ave Properties LLC, managed by Dav-Lin Interior Contractors president Allen Stevens, bought it from Chase Properties in April of that year for $2 million. The plan was to turn the four existing buildings into retail and restaurant space.
Four years later, the paper reported in August 2025 that the four properties "haven't been occupied since." The block is technically on the Downtown Southbank. That puts it under the Downtown Investment Authority, which runs a grant program built to fill storefronts exactly like these.
What's Open Now
Tavola Trattoria began a soft opening in late July with a limited menu of pizza, stromboli, pasta and Italian staples such as zeppole. Steak options, including filet, are planned once the kitchen settles in. It belongs to Table Mesa Restaurant Group of Bentonville, Arkansas, which runs eight restaurants across Italian, Euro bistro, American bistro, Latin and bakery concepts.
Tavola opened without much advertising. Unit manager Kelsey Jones told the Jacksonville Daily Record that "every day is a little bit busier than the last," and called the approach "four-wall marketing," where guests who have a good meal bring their friends back the next day. The same report said the restaurant could be the first of several Jacksonville-area locations for the company.
The Huguenot opened Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 1039 Hendricks Ave. No. 5, according to the Florida Times-Union, which described it as a European-inspired wine, artisanal cheese and charcuterie bar. Owner Chad Munsey also owns The Bearded Pig at 1808 Kings Ave. He opened The Grotto, a San Marco wine bar, in about 2001 and sold a majority share in 2008.
The Huguenot puts the wine first. The list is global and leans toward wines made with traditional, sustainable and organic methods, and the food is charcuterie and small plates. DIA plans show 18 seats at the bar, booths along the east wall, an event space on the west side and a 600-square-foot patio. Munsey said a private dining room behind the bar can be rented for events and will also host ticketed wine tastings.
Hours as reported in August:
| Days | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Tavola Trattoria | Monday to Thursday | 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| Tavola Trattoria | Friday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Tavola Trattoria | Saturday | 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Tavola Trattoria | Sunday | 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. |
| The Huguenot | Tuesday to Saturday | From 3 p.m., closing between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. depending on demand |
The Huguenot's hours were listed as tentative before it opened. Check before planning a late night there.
The Three-Year Promise Behind Both Doors
Both restaurants received grants from the DIA's Core Retail Enhancement Program. The program exists to recruit and keep restaurants and shops in the Northbank and Southbank Core Retail Enhancement Areas. Awards are capped at $30 per square foot the business occupies and can never exceed half of the project's construction costs. The applicant also has to spend at least as much as the grant on improvements.
Here is what the old Reddi-Arts block has received:
- Tavola Trattoria: $135,000, awarded to Tavola San Marco LLC, owned by Carl and Lindie Garrett.
- The Huguenot: $75,140, approved 9-0 by the DIA board in February.
- Salon on the Southbank: $85,250 toward a $225,125 build-out of a 2,675-square-foot space at 1038 Kings Ave., approved in August 2025.
The money is structured as a forgivable loan. The Huguenot's award is forgiven at 33.33% a year over three years. Tavola's works the same way, with the Daily Record reporting in 2025 that the remaining balance is forgiven at the end of the third year "so long as the restaurant remains in business." That report also put Tavola's building at 4,500 square feet with an estimated $600,000 renovation. For the salon, the Daily Record reported that the balance is fully forgiven after 36 months only if the business is still operating at the Kings Avenue location and the premises are kept in reasonably good condition. These tenants have committed to staying for years, which is a longer promise than a typical grand-opening announcement.
The salon move would be a short one. Owner Amanda Kelloway planned to relocate Salon on the Southbank from 1034 Hendricks Ave. to the Kings Avenue side of the old Reddi-Arts property, into a space twice the size. She has worked at San Marco salons for 25 years and bought the business from her mother in 2023.
The Munseys first looked at space near The Grotto's old San Marco Square location before choosing Hendricks Avenue. They cited the building's condition, nearby parking and the news that an Italian restaurant was coming to the same complex. Each new tenant made the complex easier for the next one to choose.
Where the Big Rooms Went Dark
The closures elsewhere in San Marco this season involved much larger spaces.
Voodoo Brewing Co. opened at 1974 San Marco Blvd. in July 2024. It was a two-story, 8,646-square-foot pub with 23 rotating taps and a full food menu, and it closed Sept. 15. For scale, that is more than three times the 2,675 square feet Salon on the Southbank is moving into. Former co-owner Chris Rudin told the Jacksonville Daily Record that he left the business at the end of May. He pointed to high food, labor and utility costs for a "very big building," and added that "bars alone have great margin, but when you add the food aspect of things it makes (everything) more difficult." First Coast News noted that the building needed significant renovations before Voodoo could open.
About a month earlier, Fore Score Golf Tavern closed its location at 1407 Atlantic Blvd. effective Aug. 3. The Times-Union reported that its lease had expired. As of the latest reports, no business has been announced for either space.
The spaces filling up this fall are small rooms in older buildings, where an operator can start with a soft opening, a short menu or a 3 p.m. start and grow from there. Large rooms carry big costs from the first day, and they are the ones sitting empty right now.
Getting There, and What's on the Calendar
If you come from Downtown, plan around the Main Street Bridge work. The city's schedule called for southbound traffic toward Riverplace Boulevard to drop to one lane starting Aug. 24, with the southbound pedestrian walkway closed and northbound traffic kept at two lanes. The city expects to finish by Jan. 30, 2027.
The neighborhood's holiday season centers on Balis Park, a short drive or a long walk from the Hendricks Avenue block:
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m.: Story Time in the Square at the Balis Park Gazebo, hosted by the San Marco Preservation Society.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, and Sunday, Nov. 29: The 28th San Marco Art Festival, a free two-day show with about 30 artists in Balis Park. Organizers note that traffic around the Square is not blocked off.
- Dec. 1 to 4: Tree decorating at Balis Park, per the San Marco Merchants Association.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: Holiday Magic tree-lighting ceremony at Balis Park.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 5 to 8 p.m.: Holiday Magic on San Marco Square and the 31st annual Festival of Lights 5K at Balis Park.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Holiday Luminaria, when lanterns line the neighborhood's streets.
Our office has been on Hendricks Avenue since 1983, and these openings are just up the street from us. If you own a home nearby and want to know how new businesses on the block affect what your property is worth, RiverPoint Real Estate is glad to talk it over in person. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll walk you through the comps.
