Jim Hull, owner of the Hull Property Group, the Georgia-based company which purchased the Charleston Town Center mall property in May, ruffled some feathers with recent statements pertaining to the company’s plans regarding the future of the location.
The Georgia native revealed that rent and utility charges for various storefront operations within the Town Center would see significant increases under his leadership. Among the affected locations are the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and, its sister-location, the West Virginia Museum of Music.
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, which has been a part of the Town Center since 2017, and the West Virginia Museum of Music, which opened its doors over the summer in the former Books-a-Million location, are non-profit organizations run by director and musician Michael Lipton.
Lipton expressed sensitivity to the predicament faced by the current owners, but underlined the significance of the work being done by the local entities.
“West Virginia’s musical heritage is important to all [of the state’s] residents, and it serves as a source of pride and inspiration for students,” Lipton said.
When reached for comment, Hull Property Group’s Vice President for Government Relations, John Mulherin, stated
“There are a few tenants operating on expired agreements entered into with the previous ownership. The previous ownership group was covering the utilities of the spaces which is something we simply cannot afford to sustain.”
A representative for the company, which purchased the Town Center property in May at a rate which has yet to be disclosed, offered the following:
“We are doing our best to work through these issues but need to restore the basic principles of a landlord/tenant relationship in order to move forward.”
The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame launched its storefront location at the mall in 2017, in the area previously occupied by clothing retailer The Gap, and attracted over 5000 visitors in its first month. The hall became a venue for monthly live music performances, a practice which has been disrupted by the ongoing pandemic, but is said to be picking back up sooner rather than later.
Last month, the non-profit was honored with the Charleston Area Alliance’s “Arts to the Max” award as a part of the organization’s “We Love Our Community” program.
Lipton has encouraged those who support the local organizations to call Elizabeth Wilson, Senior Vice President of the Hull Property Group, at (706) 434-1718, or write to ewilson@hullpg.com, to make their opinions known.
According to Lipton, formal negotiations between the two parties have yet to begin. Information on upcoming West Virginia Music Hall of Fame events can be found at https://facebook.com/wvmusichalloffame/.