Larken Associates on Tuesday said it helped negotiate new leases with the Art Academy of Hillsborough LLC for 3,055 square feet of space and Genie Academy for 1,698 square feet of space at Hillsborough Village Center.
Located at 1 Housel Circle, along Hillsborough’s vibrant Route 206 retail corridor, Hillsborough Village Center is a new mixed-use community featuring 191 luxury multifamily units as well as 28,000 square feet of on-site, ground-level office, medical and retail space. Designed around a resort-style amenity package, the property also provides access to a wide array of dining, retail and tourism options found throughout Somerset County.
Victor Kelly, executive vice president of Raider Realty, the in-house brokerage division of Larken Associates, represented Larken Associates in the transaction.
Founded in Hillsborough in 2009, the Art Academy offers a results-driven program of foundational art training. The company’s rigorous educational program combines contemporary and traditional methods to help its students across every level quickly develop technical proficiency. Since its founding, the Art Academy has been a tenant at multiple Larken Associates properties in both Hillsborough and, more recently, Raritan. Their new lease at Hillsborough Village Center will enable the organization to return to its roots in Hillsborough and join Hillsborough Village Center’s growing list of retail businesses, which already includes Yoga M.A.T.T., Tropical Smoothie Café and JC Nail Spa.
“We’re proud to announce that the Art Academy is scheduled to return to Hillsborough in January of 2024,” Kevin Murphy, founder of the Art Academy said. “Hillsborough Village Center’s flexibility and convenient location will allow us to continue to offer the finest art education for youth, teens and adults while also encouraging prospective students to take advantage of our free introductory class to begin their artistic journey. We look forward to growing our relationships in the community as we get closer to our opening.”
Genie Academy, a learning enrichment center offering students Abacus Math, Common Core Math, Reading, Writing and Coding classes, also plans to open its new location at Hillsborough Village Center in January. The learning center’s new space in Hillsborough marks its first at a Larken Associates property and is its sixth total location across New Jersey.
“Our expansion into the Hillsborough community will help our existing Hillsborough, Montgomery and Bridgewater students who have had to travel to our other centers,” Mohit Jain, founder of Genie Academy, said. “We also hope to work with many other local students in the Hillsborough area and give parents a convenient location to enrich their children.”
Kelly added: “Hillsborough Village Center’s ground-level retail is suited to meet the needs of a variety of tenants in today’s market. The Art Academy of Hillsborough and Genie Academy’s missions align with our focus on adding high-quality tenants to support our local community and we wish them the best of luck in their new space.”
