Historic Ford Dealership. Semi-Truck Access. Downtown Opportunity Zone
FOR SALE / LEASE | 212 E. Sullivan St., Kingsport, TN 37660 | Sale: $680,000
Historic Ford Dealership. Semi-Truck Access. Downtown.
Regional Showroom | Service Headquarters | Flex Commercial Redevelopment | Opportunity Zone
Originally constructed in 1930 as a Ford dealership, 212 E. Sullivan Street presents one of Downtown Kingsport's most distinctive commercial redevelopment opportunities — approximately 11,609 square feet on a 20,623-square-foot site, combining historic architecture with functionality rarely found in downtown commercial buildings. The building has already been stripped to a dark shell, allowing a purchaser to begin redevelopment immediately without the expense and uncertainty of demolition.
Unlike most historic downtown buildings, the property features an 18-wheeler loading bay with dedicated truck access, making it exceptionally well suited for a flagship showroom, regional service headquarters, warehouse, distribution, light industrial, or contractor headquarters use — with the arched storefront windows and wide-open spans also supporting a destination retail, live music venue, or brewery/distillery concept. Most downtown buildings can't accept semi deliveries. This one can. That makes it unique.
Property Stats
- Offered As
- For Sale — $680,000 (approximately $59/SF, below replacement cost)
- Building Size
- ±11,609 SF
- Lot Size
- ±20,623 SF
- Year Built
- Circa 1930 — former Ford dealership
- Condition
- Dark shell — ready for redevelopment
- Zoning
- B-2 Central Business District (City of Kingsport)
- Special Districts
- Opportunity Zone, TIF District, PILOT District, Tennessee Main Street (buyer to verify)
- Submarket
- Downtown Kingsport / Kingsport-Bristol CBSA
Investment Highlights
- Approximately 11,609 SF on an approximately 20,623 SF lot — built circa 1930 as a Ford dealership
- Offered at $680,000 — approximately $59 per SF, below replacement cost
- 18-wheeler loading dock with truck delivery capability — a genuine downtown rarity
- Dark shell ready for redevelopment — no demolition cost or uncertainty
- Large open floor plan, high ceilings, arched storefront windows, original marble flooring, pressed-tin ceilings
- Wide-open spans, high ceilings, and drive-in loading also suit destination retail, a live music venue, or a brewery/distillery with taproom
- Qualified Opportunity Zone, TIF District, PILOT District, Tennessee Main Street area
- B-2 Central Business District zoning — maximum use flexibility
- Excellent visibility on a large urban lot — parking, fenced yard, outdoor display, or expansion
Rare Downtown Commercial Functionality
What separates this property from virtually every other historic building in Downtown Kingsport is its ability to function as both a traditional commercial building and an operational business headquarters. Features include:
- Dedicated truck loading access suitable for semi deliveries
- Loading bay for shipping and receiving
- Large open floor plates with wide structural bays and high ceilings
- Excellent circulation throughout the building
- ±20,623 SF site — very uncommon downtown — with flexibility for employee/customer parking, fenced yard, outdoor display, storage, or expansion
- Dark shell — buyers don't pay to demo
These characteristics make the property ideal for businesses that require showroom space combined with warehouse or service operations — an increasingly difficult combination to find within a walkable downtown environment.
Ideal Regional Headquarters
The property is particularly well suited for companies seeking a highly visible regional office combined with warehouse, showroom, or service operations. Potential users include HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and restoration contractors; commercial flooring suppliers; cabinet and kitchen showrooms; window and door distributors; building supply companies; furniture retailers; appliance showrooms; commercial kitchen suppliers; lighting and home design centers; industrial distributors; medical equipment companies; fitness concepts; brewery or distillery; automotive specialty businesses; and government or institutional users.
Few downtown buildings can accommodate customer-facing operations while simultaneously supporting truck deliveries and warehouse functionality.
Retail, Music Venue & Brewery Alternatives
While the property is positioned first as a regional showroom and service headquarters, the same physical attributes serve other concepts exceptionally well. The prominent arched-window frontage and large display windows support a destination retail or flagship showroom presence, and the wide-open structural spans, high ceilings, and drive-in loading make the shell a natural fit for a live music venue, event space, or brewery/distillery with taproom — where stage rigging, brewhouse equipment, and kegs can be loaded straight into the building. B-2 zoning expressly permits craft breweries (up to 10,000 SF of production area in commercial zones) and distilleries with tasting rooms. At approximately $59 per SF — well below replacement cost — an operator can direct capital into build-out rather than acquisition.
Historic Character Meets Modern Flexibility
Originally developed as a Ford dealership, the building retains many of the architectural characteristics that make adaptive reuse projects successful today: historic arched storefront windows and large display windows, original marble flooring, decorative pressed-tin ceilings, open structural spans and exceptional natural light, and historic masonry construction. These original details create an environment that would be extraordinarily expensive to replicate through new construction while providing an authentic setting increasingly sought by businesses and consumers.
Why Kingsport — Steady Growth Without the Boom-Bust Risk
Kingsport's steady, measured growth is its quiet advantage. Fast-growing markets like Nashville often overbuild during boom cycles and pay for it in vacancy spikes. Kingsport doesn't carry that risk. Commercial fundamentals here are unusually tight across every sector — Office at 4.0% vacancy, Retail at 1.5%, and Multifamily at 5.6%, all outperforming national averages.
Kingsport buying power per dollar of retail rent is 10% to 24% higher than Knoxville, Nashville, and Asheville, NC. Rent is ultimately funded by tenant revenue, which is directly tied to the purchasing power of the surrounding population. In Kingsport, that relationship is more favorable.
Qualified Opportunity Zone Asset — Tax-Advantaged Investment
Investors rolling recent stock, business, real estate, or crypto capital gains into a Qualified Opportunity Fund may defer tax on those gains, offset operating income through cost-segregation and bonus depreciation, and potentially exit federal-tax-free on appreciation after a 10-year hold. The 2025 federal tax law made Opportunity Zones a permanent part of the tax code. Buyers should consult their own tax advisor regarding eligibility and current OZ rules.
SBA 10% to 20% Down Payment Options for Purchase
For an owner-user — contractor, distributor, showroom operator, or service company — the SBA 504 program can put ownership within reach with terms of 10, 20, or 25 years. This option could save around $500,000 in rent payments over a 10-year period. Example for illustrative purposes, subject to lender approval, underwriting, and market conditions.
Construction Cost & Grant (DIG) Program
Kingsport hard costs run meaningfully below peer markets across the board, and when paired with incentives — Opportunity Zone tax advantages, façade improvement grants, and the City's Redevelopment Grant and Downtown Loan programs — projects achieve a superior basis and stronger risk-adjusted returns.
Whether the buyer is repositioning the existing asset as a hotel, loft, F&B, or retail space or doing a full top-to-bottom remodel, the cost to build is substantially more affordable than what the same project would carry in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, or Asheville.
Learn more at the city's incentives page: kingsporttn.gov/ecd/incentives
Parking
77 free parking spaces next door plus 15 spaces with the building, and Downtown Kingsport offers 1,800+ public parking spaces overall.
$294M Capital Improvement Plan (2025–2029)
Kingsport, Tennessee is currently undergoing significant infrastructure and beautification efforts aimed at revitalizing its downtown and enhancing public spaces:
- Main Street Rebuild Project — revitalizing the downtown area from Market Street to Sullivan Street: new water, sewer, and stormwater lines, utilities moved underground, stamped brick crosswalks, landscaping, and bulb-outs.
- Downtown Public Art & Aesthetic Enhancements — vinyl utility-box wraps featuring local history and a comprehensive Downtown Master Plan by TSW Design.
- Riverwalk Park Expansion — $7.8 million BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation grant adding amenities along the 11-mile Greenbelt.
- Residential Growth — over 1,200 residential permits issued in the last five years, adding roughly 2,500 new residential units.
- Industrial & Commercial Growth — redevelopment of the Dobyns-Taylor Warehouse and expansion of the IMAX theater at Fort Henry Mall.
Investment Summary
212 E. Sullivan Street represents one of Downtown Kingsport's most versatile redevelopment opportunities. While many historic buildings appeal primarily to residential or hospitality developers, this property offers something significantly different: the ability to combine historic architecture with true commercial functionality. Its rare truck-loading capability, expansive open floor plates, generous site size, and adaptive reuse potential make it equally attractive to owner-users, regional service companies, distributors, retail operators, entertainment and brewery concepts, and investors. For buyers seeking a headquarters, flagship showroom, commercial redevelopment, or adaptive reuse project at a basis well below replacement cost, 212 E. Sullivan Street offers one of the most compelling opportunities currently available in Downtown Kingsport.
Explore Kingsport
Explore Kingsport, TN dining at visitkingsport.com/eat-drink and outdoor activities at visitkingsport.com/explore. Dollywood (Pigeon Forge) is roughly 1 hour 34 minutes by car, the Smoky Mountains National Park north entrance is 90 miles away, and trout fishing is 5 minutes from downtown.
visitkingsport.com is referenced as a third-party resource to help prospective buyers learn more about Kingsport, TN — the city in which this property is located. All images, content, and trademarks on that website are the property of Visit Kingsport and do not depict the listed property. Visit Kingsport is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this listing.
Downtown Kingsport
Parking & Access
Downtown Kingsport carries 1,800+ free public parking spaces, including a 364-space parking garage roughly a 3-minute walk (~250 yards) from the property.
Contact the Listing Agent
Carson Lee Jones
615-212-5524
carson.jones@expcommercial.com
Disclaimer: All information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable; however, no representation or warranty is made as to its accuracy. Prospective purchasers should verify all square footage, lot size, zoning compliance, Opportunity Zone boundaries, incentive program eligibility, flood zone designation, truck access, and permitted uses with the appropriate authorities and their own professional advisors. Any financing references, including the SBA 504 program, are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to lender approval, underwriting, and current market conditions. Opportunity Zone provisions carry specific deadlines and conditions and are subject to change by legislation or regulation; prospective investors should consult their own qualified tax advisor, attorney, and CPA before making any investment decision. eXp Commercial, LLC and its affiliates make no guarantee, warranty or representation, expressed or implied, about the information above.
Questions Buyers Ask About 212 E. Sullivan Street
The questions owner-users and investors ask most often about the former Ford dealership. Verify every figure during due diligence.
Why is $680,000 a fair price for this building?
That's about $59 per square foot for ±11,609 SF on a ±20,623 SF lot, which is below replacement cost for masonry construction of this era. The building is already stripped to a dark shell, so you aren't paying for demolition. A semi-truck loading bay and a large downtown lot would be costly or impossible to recreate in the CBD.
Is the building occupied?
No. It is a vacant dark shell, ready for redevelopment. That lets an owner-user move in on its own timeline without buying out any leases. It is offered for sale at $680,000 or for lease.
Can it really take semi-truck deliveries downtown?
Yes. That is what sets it apart. The building has an 18-wheeler loading bay with dedicated truck access for shipping and receiving, which most historic downtown buildings can't offer. Confirm turning radius and access routes for your specific trucks during due diligence.
What is the zoning, and what uses fit?
It is zoned B-2 Central Business District. Good fits include a regional showroom, contractor or service headquarters, warehouse or light distribution, destination retail, a live music venue, or a brewery or distillery. B-2 expressly permits craft breweries (up to 10,000 SF of production area) and distilleries with tasting rooms.
How much parking is there?
There are 15 spaces with the building and 77 free spaces next door, plus 1,800+ public spaces downtown. The ±20,623 SF site also leaves room for more parking, a fenced yard, outdoor display or expansion.
Does it qualify for a 1031 exchange?
Yes. A vacant building qualifies as long as you hold it for investment or use it in your business. Section 1031 only requires that you hold the replacement property for investment or for use in your business, identify it within 45 days of selling, and close within 180 days through a qualified intermediary. An owner-user moving a company headquarters here can count that business use. Renovation dollars spent after the exchange closes don't count toward your replacement value, so plan the build-out with your intermediary.
Can an owner-user buy it with SBA financing?
Often, yes. An SBA 504 loan can finance an owner-occupied building with as little as 10%–20% down and 10-, 20- or 25-year terms. The borrower generally must occupy at least 51% of an existing building. Approval depends on lender underwriting.
What special districts and incentives apply?
The property lies in a Qualified Opportunity Zone, a TIF district, a PILOT district and the Tennessee Main Street area (buyer to verify each). It may also qualify to apply for the city's façade grant, redevelopment grant and Downtown Loan programs.
What drives demand for this location?
It is a walkable downtown site with truck access, which few users can find in one place. Contractors, distributors and showroom operators get a visible address near Kingsport's $294M capital improvement plan, about 2,500 new residential units, and major employers such as Eastman Chemical.
How do I tour the building or get more information?
Contact Carson Jones at 615-212-5524 or carson.jones@expcommercial.com. Tours are by appointment. Any detailed documents are shared with serious buyers, usually after a short confidentiality agreement (NDA).
Selling or buying commercial property? Let's talk.
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Carson Jones
Carson Jones is the host of Carson's Corner: Commercial Real Estate, author of The Red Flag Playbook, a licensed commercial real estate advisor and business broker, and the founder of Passive Investments. With 18 years of experience as an entrepreneur and 12 years specializing in passive investing, Carson works with high-net-worth individuals, family offices, business owners, and sophisticated investors as a broker and principal.
Carson holds a BBA in Finance from Baylor University and his Tennessee commercial real estate license (#382989). He actively pursues acquisition and equity opportunities across the United States and abroad through a worldwide network of qualified buyers, family offices, institutional investors, and top-tier developers.