Broadway Mattress Outlet leased 16,000 sf in the 24,000-sf Hernal building at 8418 Broadway in the central submarket. Jim Pipkin of the San Antonio office of Grubb & Ellis Co. negotiated for the building owner, Logan Hernal. Broadway Mattress was represented by Kevin Morales of Home Team Realty.

Pipkin tells GlobeSt.com that the mattress company is using about 5,000 sf for its showroom and the rest for warehouse. It is Broadway Mattress Outlet's only location. The company shares the building with Earl Scheib Paint & Body. Pipkin declined to disclose the lease length and rental rate for the space.

In the north San Antonio area, the retail vacancy rate was 13.3% at the end of 2002, according to figures from REOC Partners in San Antonio. More than 351,000 sf of positive absorption helped better then 2001 year-end vacancy rate of 14.4%. Rent climbed to an average of $13.93 per sf during the year from $13.64 per sf.