Four locally owned Nashville businesses said Sept. 2 they must vacate OneC1TY, a mixed-use development that once marketed the restaurants, bars and specialty shops as part of its appeal.
Their departure comes as developers plan to begin work on a 313-unit residential project on the site.
SandBar Nashville, Aloha Fish Co., Kokos Ice Cream and Nosh Desserts must vacate by Dec. 31, Aloha Fish Co. co-owner Jennifer Cheung Cline said. She's not sure whether she will reopen elsewhere.
For Cline and her husband, Jerry Cline, the news comes less than a year after they invested more than $100,000 to open an Aloha Fish Co. market in the former Avo restaurant at 3 City Ave., Suite 200.
The Clines will look for a new place to relocate their market, which offered
fresh seafood and community events such as sushi-making classes.
"I feel like I'm on a float in the ocean, just not sure which direction right now," said Jennifer Cheung Cline, a native of Hawaii. "Is it a blessing in disguise or is it like maybe it's something better on the other side?"
SandBar, also at C1TYBLOX, announced the news to customers on its Instagram page.
"After nearly a decade of volleyball, drinks, celebrations, friendships, and countless memories, we've learned that the property where Sandbar calls home is being sold to developers," the business said.
Crescent Communities and OneC1TY announced plans Sept. 2 for Novel oneC1TY, which will replace the C1TYBLOX retail and sand volleyball area at the development near Charlotte Avenue and Interstate 440.
The new apartment block is expected to include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, about 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and a public plaza. Completion is slated for 2029.
The developers said C1TYBLOX was created 12 years ago as a temporary use of land intended for future development. They are exploring ways to incorporate elements of C1TYBLOX, including sand volleyball, into the new project.
The Tennessean reached out to OneC1TY with additional questions but did not receive an immediate response.
The Clines, who launched Aloha Fish Co. in 2020, said they built the business around delivering high-quality, sustainable seafood for Nashville customers. Later, they launched seafood pickup and lunch popups in a warren of partially hidden warehouses and businesses in South Nashville near Geodis Park.
Ready for a more accessible space, they spent nearly two years looking for another affordable brick-and-mortar location.
"We don't have a lot of money to build from scratch," Cline said. "Nashville, it's either brand-new builds or an old building where you have to refurbish it and redo the whole space. And we don't have that kind of money."
The former Avo space already had a kitchen, making it possible for the Clines to invest what they could afford.
"We got our hopes up high," Cline said. "We're like, 'Oh my gosh.' And then we tried to make it work because we were just hopeful that maybe this is our chance to find something."
They signed for the space in June 2025 and opened in November. Even with an existing kitchen, Cline said they spent more than $100,000 on the move and equipment for the larger space.
The money came largely from their savings. Cline sold a piece of land she had owned for years to help finance the project.
Now they have four months to decide what comes next.
"Even if we go somewhere, I don't have money to do it," she said.
Cline said she doesn't know whether Aloha will find another brick-and-mortar location, return to a different business model or ultimately sell its equipment. She and her husband have both relied on other work while building the company.
"We love the business. We love the community," Cline said. "Anybody that comes in is so grateful and they're so happy to find us, and that's what hurts me the most."
Whatever comes next, she said she doesn't want to abandon Aloha's mission.
"I still want people to have good quality, high-quality sustainable seafood in the comforts of their own home," Cline said.
SandBar plans to remain open through Dec. 31 and urged customers to make the most of its remaining months at OneC1TY.
"But we're not ready to say goodbye. Not even close," the business said. "We have the rest of 2026 together, and we want to make every bit of it count."
Cline also hopes customers will support all four businesses during their remaining months at OneC1TY.
"There's a deadline," she said. "December 31. I'm hoping to get whatever catering I can do or whatever little events or whatever. So everything will count the next couple of weeks."
Mackensy Lunsford is the senior dining reporter at The Tennessean. Reach her at mlunsford@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 4 Nashville businesses must leave OneC1TY as apartment project moves forward
