A coastal lifestyle brand known for its sustainable fabrics and beachy button-downs is planting its first Upstate South Carolina flag right on Main Street. Faherty has signed a 10-year lease for 2,742 square feet at 200 N. Main St. in Downtown Greenville, with the store slated to open in early 2027.
The deal marks the highest retail lease rate recorded in Downtown Greenville to date, according to Greenville News, whose reporting forms the backbone of what's currently known about the deal. Trinity Partners announced the agreement on August 13, representing the landlord in the transaction. Faherty did not respond to the paper's request for comment on the new location.
Faherty was founded in 2013 by twin brothers Mike and Alex Faherty and has grown to more than 80 stores across the country, selling men's and women's clothing and accessories built from sustainable materials. The company already has a South Carolina presence with stores on King Street in Charleston and at Freshfields Village on Kiawah Island, but the Greenville location will be its first foray into the Upstate.
A Record Rate on a Storied Block
Trinity Partners broker Cheyenne Putnam, who joined the firm's Greenville office in January 2025 and has executed more than $100 million in sale and lease transactions per CoStar, said the record-setting lease rate speaks to the strength of Downtown Greenville as a retail destination. She added that bringing a nationally recognized brand like Faherty to Downtown Greenville is an exciting addition to Main Street.
The record is notable given where Main Street rents have historically sat. Rents on North Main Street have averaged between $24 and $30 per square foot, with top-of-market rates topping out around $40 per square foot NNN, according to a 2018 report from the Greenville Journal. Faherty's lease set a downtown record.
Tight Vacancy Is Fueling the Chase for Storefronts
The record-breaking figure tracks with a broader squeeze on Greenville-area retail space. The greater Greenville-Spartanburg region's retail vacancy rate stood at a historic low of 3.17% in the second quarter of 2024, according to the Post and Courier. That dynamic mirrors other recent Downtown Greenville real estate activity, including the rising valuations reported near the West End earlier this summer.
The building itself carries its own retail history. Built in 1940, the building at 200 N. Main St. is located at N. Main and E. North and includes commercial office and residential loft space above its ground-floor storefronts, according to Matt Foster Commercial Properties. Before Faherty, the space was most recently home to Dapper Dog, and before that it housed South Carolina apparel brand Southern Tide, which relocated to the Camperdown development in 2022, as the Post and Courier reported at the time.
A Brand Built Around Sustainability Messaging
Faherty has leaned into environmental and social credentials as it has expanded. The company's blog discusses those credentials. Faherty has also continued to emphasize its sustainability messaging.
Leadership at the company includes family members, according to The WIE Suite. The WIE Suite also mentions Kerry Docherty.
Faherty's move into Greenville follows a pattern of expansion into new regional markets. The brand has also expanded into other East Coast markets. For now, Downtown Greenville shoppers will have to wait until early 2027 for the storefront to open, leaving preparations ahead inside the 1940 building before the brand's first Upstate doors open.
