New business coming to former downtown home of Bee’s Knees

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A new business has leased the space formerly occupied by the Bee’s Knees restaurant in downtown Augusta.

The property at 211 10th St. will soon be the home of the Lenox on 10th bar and lounge.

“This highly anticipated venture is set to bring further development to downtown Augusta, bringing a fresh and exciting experience to the heart of Augusta,” the Finem Group at Meybohm Commercial real estate company said in a news release.

The owners of Lenox on 10th already have two existing local restaurants and are “poised to leverage their extensive experience and expertise to elevate the social scene in Augusta with their latest establishment,” the news release stated.

“I was personally a part of the opening training team for Cheddars and Wild Wing. With 20-plus years of bar and hospitality experience, locally and throughout the country, we’re excited for the future of Lenox on 10th,” said Aris Reed, one of the owners.

With more than 3,277 square feet of space across the street from Taco Cat and Pho-Ramen’L and next door to Manny’s off Broad Sports Bar, the space leased quickly with multiple offers at full price.

“We congratulate Lenox on 10th on their new lease and are delighted to have been part of seeing a new concept take up the Bees Knees’ baton,” said John Eckley, vice president and commercial broker with the Finem Group.

Progress downtown should only increase with increased foot traffic resulting from coming developments like The Standard on Greene Street and the Lamar Building, Eckley said.

“These developments along with the coming streetscape projects are going to make a compelling case for more to live downtown,” Eckley said. “For many, it seems we’re hitting a crucial tipping point.”

The multiple offers for the property show that there is demand for high-quality space downtown, said Jonathan Aceves, commercial broker with the Finem Group.

“Many landlords downtown have speculatively bought space or are holding space waiting for prices to rise, and are unwilling to invest to improve space, leading to a perception that there’s a lot of vacant buildings and lack of demand–which is not true,” Aceves said.

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