Walker House at 540 Broad St. in Newark — Photo by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ
By Joshua Burd
A boutique men’s grooming line is moving into one of Newark’s most iconic buildings after leasing nearly 5,000 square feet at the newly restored, 21-story property.
The ownership team — which includes L+M Development Partners, Prudential Financial Inc. and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group — announced recently the Scotch Porter has taken 4,811 square feet of office space at 540 Broad St. The tenant joins several other commercial users at the mixed-use property, now known as Walker House, after a historic preservation and redevelopment of the landmark former New Jersey Bell building.
JLL represented the landlord, according to a news release. Newmark Knight Frank represented the tenant, which develops multifunctional grooming and wellness products.
“I am excited to be amongst the group of premiere businesses moving into the Walker House commercial spaces,” said Calvin Quallis, founder of Scotch Porter. “The city of Newark is a sacred piece to the DNA of the Scotch Porter brand, just as it is to the historic Walker House. As we continue to grow as a company, I cannot imagine a better place to call our home.”
The ownership team noted that the product line began as an experiment by Quallis, who was working at his barbershop, and has rapidly grown into a grooming solution for men around the world. The beard and skin collections are made up entirely of clean products that are free of harmful and toxic chemicals, seeking to cater to the everyday man.
Scotch Porter will use the Walker House space for business operations.
“Scotch Porter is a hometown success story — growing from a boutique business to a leading wellness and grooming brand,” said Jake Pine, director at L+M Development Partners. “We are proud to welcome this Newark startup to the historic Walker House as they grow and expand their business for years to come.”
Walker House is also home to 211 luxury apartments, which L+M, Prudential and Goldman delivered in spring 2019. Other commercial tenants include Newark Local Beer, a craft brewery and taproom that is set to open on the ground floor by year-end, along with Bada Bean Cawfee.
Also opening this year on the ground floor and lower level will be Method Climbing, the first indoor rock climbing gym in Newark. The street level also houses a UPS Store, while Scotch Porter joins a nationally renowned tech training nonprofit known as Per Scholas as an office tenant at the building.
L+M sees new office space as key complement to apartments, retailers at historic Newark tower
