Times might be hard for some kinds of retail, but retail is still an essential component of major office buildings. It has come to be an expected amenity, which is why one Downtown Charlotte office property just upped its retail game.

Upscale seafood restaurant Eddie V's recently inked a lease for more than 10K SF at Bank of America Plaza, becoming one of the first retail tenants at the tower's newly renovated street-level spaces. It joins restaurant Devon & Blakely, which will also open in the building in the fall.

“Bank of America Plaza’s tenants have always benefited from nearby retail and amenities," Trinity Partners director of leasing Rhea Greene said. "With the additional 20K SF of ground-floor retail, Bank of America Plaza will become the most amenitized building in the CBD."

The building's owner, TIER REIT, began a $20M renovation of the building’s lobby and street-level retail space early last year; it is scheduled to be finished this spring. Lobby renovations include marble flooring, wood art panels, LED lighting and a 70-foot light art sculpture that spans the length of the lobby.

Besides offering seafood, Eddie V's will aim to evoke a Prohibition-era speakeasy with craft cocktails and live jazz every night. Devon & Blakely is a fast-casual concept with locations in NYC, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Greene, along with colleague Maddy Howey, repped the landlord. Eddie V’s was repped by Core Properties' Lance Lancaster, while CBRE's Brooks Bailey repped Devon & Blakely.