Phoenix’s Melrose District is embracing change with a pinch of nostalgia, as the much-anticipated business complex, The Royale, opens its doors to the public. Co-owned by veterans in the Valley's entrepreneurial scene, Mark Howard and Rocco Menaguale have transformed a strip of auto body shops into a trendy commercial center, aptly nodding to the history of the location with a name that resonates with the royal treatment they aim to provide, this according to an ABC15 interview.
The development, which celebrates its grand opening on January 21, is already fully leased, housing a variety of local businesses like Cult Hair Salon & Spa, Window Coffee Bar, Stem Swag, and YUMBAR, with additional establishments like Rocco Designs, LIX uptown ice cream, Scotty Kirby Photo + Design, and Your Health and Wellness set to open over the next month, during an interview, Howard shared that their selection of tenants is designed to "work together and offer products and services that really reach a much broader community".
Howard and Menaguale haven't only focused on filling the spaces within The Royale but also on the external aspects that contribute to a more cohesive and secure community experience, as they’ve gone as far as installing sidewalks and parking where none existed and successfully campaigning for a new four-way stop, in efforts painstaking enough that, despite being a boon for neighborhood safety, took "decades" for the community to secure, in a statement obtained by ABC15 they said.
Prospective patrons of The Royale, located at 635 W. Glenrosa Avenue, have a grand opening to look forward to complete with, among other specials, a DJ set and an Instagram tour full of photo opportunities, the owners had previously enthused the public by declaring a mission focused on supporting the local economy, and as Howard put it in an interview, "When people buy local and spend local, that money stays local," an ethos conveyed in a previous report by ABC15.
Supporting this local-first approach, The Royale is filling with businesses that resonate with the vibrant Melrose District, the complex – which once housed various autobody shops dating back to the 1940s now, stands as a testament to mindful urban development combined with a sincere effort to maintain the character of the enclave it serves, as revealed by ABC15.
