Maria Burke Interiors, LLC is relocating its design studios to Townside Shopping Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, consolidating its operations and five employees in a new space at the mixed-use property. The firm, founded in 2015 by Maria Burke, plans to move into its studio at 2215 Ivy Road by early fall, positioning the business within an established commercial environment.
Townside Shopping Center is described as a 60,000 mixed-use, two-story project that combines corporate office space, professional services, retail tenants, and restaurant users. The property is located adjacent to the University of Virginia, which places the center in a high-visibility area that attracts both institutional and local traffic. This setting provides exposure to a broad base of potential clients and customers for tenants operating within the center.
The relocation marks a notable step for Maria Burke Interiors as it aligns its design operations with a multi-tenant commercial setting rather than a stand-alone or less centralized location. The firm is positioning its studio in a project that is marketed on its exterior profile and surrounding institutional presence, which may help reinforce its brand identity among nearby businesses, students, faculty, and residents who frequent the area.
MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services represented Maria Burke Interiors in the lease transaction. Sam Orr and Brian Thomas of the firm advised the tenant in securing the new studio location within Townside Shopping Center. They characterized the move as one that should accommodate future expansion for the design practice and support the company as it continues to build its client base.
From the tenant perspective, Maria Burke noted that the location and design of Townside Shopping Center are expected to function as a form of corporate visibility for the firm. With its presence on Ivy Road and immediate adjacency to the University of Virginia, the building’s prominent exterior is anticipated to act as an ongoing advertisement for Maria Burke Interiors, which she indicated could help drive additional business activity.
The Townside Shopping Center tenancy underscores ongoing demand for well-located mixed-use retail properties near large institutional anchors such as universities. By combining office, service, retail, and restaurant space in a single project, the center provides an environment where design-oriented firms like Maria Burke Interiors can operate near complementary users and benefit from shared foot traffic and visibility. The lease further illustrates how smaller professional services tenants are seeking locations that integrate retail-style exposure with office-style functionality.
