A cornerstone building on East Nashville's Main Street corridor has changed hands for $3.9 million, closing the book on a sale that began with a much higher price tag. The 9,800-square-foot property at 626 Main St. currently houses Hawkers Asian Street Food on its ground floor and sits directly next to the beloved hot chicken institution Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish.
As first reported by Nashville Post, the property had been listed for roughly $4.5 million as recently as mid-2025 before ultimately closing at the lower figure. The building sits on a 0.36-acre lot, according to the outlet's reporting.
Before Hawkers moved in, the ground-floor space was home to The Family Wash, the relocated live music venue and restaurant that operated there from 2015 until its closure in 2018, per the same account from Nashville Post. That history reflects the building's long run as a gathering spot for East Nashville, first as a music venue and later as a restaurant destination.
From Glass Shop to Coworking Campus
The building's roots stretch back further than its recent restaurant tenants. Developer Christian Paro acquired the site — previously home to All Nite Glass — in 2014, according to Center 615.
In August 2019, the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals approved a sidewalk variance for the address, allowing the owner to redevelop the building for Hawkers without building new sidewalks or paying into Metro's sidewalk fund, per meeting records from the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals.
Hawkers' Bankruptcy Scare and Recovery
Hawkers Asian Street Food signed its lease for the 5,000-square-foot ground-floor space in 2019 and opened its East Nashville location in October 2020, per Center 615's account of the building's history. The Florida-based chain has weathered financial turbulence since then: it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2024 amid a dispute with its capital lender, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
The chain voluntarily dismissed that filing in January 2025 after completing a consensual loan restructuring, Nation's Restaurant News reported. Private equity firm Savory Fund then acquired an investment stake in Hawkers in June 2025 to fuel growth for the 15-unit chain, which reported systemwide average unit sales volumes of $4.6 million, according to Restaurant Business Magazine.
A Corridor Rich With Local Flavor
Next door, Bolton's Spicy Chicken & Fish continues to anchor the block as a historic East Nashville hot chicken institution, co-founded by Bolton Matthews using a family recipe passed down from his uncle Bolton Polk, according to Atlas Obscura. The pairing of a national restaurant chain with a homegrown Nashville institution captures the mix of old and new that defines the Main Street strip today.
