ANDERSONVILLE — Nelson Funeral Chapel was built to be a funeral home — and it has been just that since it opened at 5149 N. Ashland Ave. 84 years ago — but the building's landlord is eager to see the property reborn.
"We'll probably be redesigning it," said real estate developer Alan Candea, president of Candea Development and son of Moises Candea, who owns the property.
The Nelson family plans to close shop in Andersonville at the end of April.
Candea said he is seeking a new tenant to lease some 8,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space at about $18 per square foot. He is looking for something quirky and locally owned, and is willing to alter the interior and exterior of the property to accommodate a new business.
A beer brewery could be cool, Candea said, however he is open to ideas from prospective tenants and wants to see "something special."
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and Andersonville Development Corporation director Ellen Shepard floated a few ideas, including a brewery, theater group and music venue.
She is excited at the prospect of a new business, but said Andersonville will "miss [Nelson] greatly."
"As a family and locally owned establishment, they have always treated their customers with the greatest compassion, and they have a long history of support of Andersonville community organizations and programs," Shepard said.
For more information about the space at 5149 N. Ashland Ave., email Alan Candea at alan@candeadevelopment.com or view the Andersonville Development Corporation's listing for the space, here.
