Charlotte Commercial Landlord and Tenant Representation
Thrift Commercial Real Estate is a Charlotte, NC, based boutique firm specializing in retail leasing. Our key services include tenant representation, landlord representation/tenant-mix consulting, project development, property sales and acquisitions.
We’ve developed a reputation for working with the most sought-after food and beverage concepts and lifestyle retail brands. Experience has taught us that each project will have its own unique challenges. Our Thrift Commercial Real Estate Charlotte team embraces obstacles to find the real estate solution for you.
OUR MISSION
Thrift Commercial Real Estate Charlotte was created with the desire to provide exceptional, personalized service to established and new Charlotte businesses. We set out to become the region’s leading broker by using our intimate knowledge of the market and emphasis on customer service to pair our clients with the ideal tenant or property. Today, we continue on this mission to lead the industry and build a better Charlotte.
I see Thrift CRES as a partner to each of our clients. We believe we do our best when forging deep connections with our community and our local businesses.
– Charles Thrift, Partner
MEET OUR TEAM
Education:
B.S. in Management
North Carolina State University, 1994
Business History:
Charles started Thrift CRES in 2016 to provide local commercial landlord’s a boutique firm primarily focused on the Charlotte MSA.
Over the past 20 years, Charles has worked in a number of roles in Charlotte firms, all of which included some form of leasing. Charles takes great pride in providing landlord’s and developers superior service, deep market knowledge, all with an owner’s mentality.
Charles worked in retail leasing and brokerage with Collett and also with Crosland where he was responsible for leasing a multitude of projects for an array of partners and third party owners.
Charles is a Charlotte native and continues to live in the city he loves with wife, Lauren, and two teenage boys Payne and Wilson.
Charles is a licensed broker in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Education:
B.A. in Communication
Wake Forest University, 2019
Business History:
Cliff joined Thrift Commercial Real Estate Services in 2019 with a focus on providing quality service for both Landlords and Tenants. Prior to brokerage, Cliff built a market wide database of re-zonings and transactions within the last 10 years. He has a vast understanding of urban market data, zoning regulations, and property values; which greatly assists his clients as they navigate the best real estate solutions.
Cliff spent most of his life in Raleigh, North Carolina but now lives in Charlotte with his wife, Mary.
Cliff is a licensed Real Estate Broker in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Education:
B.S. in Sociology
Clemson University, 2020
Business History:
Thompson joined Thrift Commercial in 2020 as a Broker for the Retail Team. His focus involves providing services for both Landlords and Tenants. Prior to brokerage, Thompson was in a research position for TCRES. His responsibilities included tracking tenant activity, building market reports, and providing various other deliverables for future clients.
Thompson is a Charlotte native and lives here with his wife, Emily, and their dog Banks.
Thompson is a licensed Real Estate Broker in North Carolina.
Education:
B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration
University of Alabama, 2012
Business History:
Lucy joined Thrift Commercial in 2019, specializing in retail agency leasing and tenant representation for the Carolinas market. Her focus includes specialty retail and lifestyle concepts, high-end food and beverage, and luxury service operators. She has a passion for identifying emerging brands and thoughtfully merchandising her properties.
She serves as an advocate for her clients in the identifying, negotiating, and completion of new stores, relocations, renewals, and expansions. She is responsible for the overall development and execution of leasing strategies to maximize each client and property’s full potential.
Prior to joining Thrift Commercial, Lucy spent over four years on the retail brokerage team at JLL in Charlotte. Previous experience includes marketing for the Charlotte based multifamily architecture firm, Axiom Architecture.
Lucy is a native of Montgomery, Alabama but now calls Charlotte home where she resides with her husband, Alex.
Lucy is a licensed Real Estate Broker in NC and SC.
Education:
B.A. in Politics and History
Sewanee: The University of The South
Business History:
Caroline joined Thrift Commercial in 2021 as Marketing and Brokerage Coordinator for the Office Division, providing expertise in developing tenant mix and marketing strategies and supporting the needs of the office team.
Prior to joining Thrift, Caroline worked as an Assistant Project Manager in Washington, DC supporting national corporate reputation, community engagement, and marketing campaigns for clients across various industries, including telecommunications, energy, food and beverage, and more. With a background in content creation and project management, Caroline brings a distinctly creative and organized approach for client business.
Caroline graduated from Sewanee: The University of The South in 2020 majoring in Politics and History. She was a member of Sewanee’s NCAA DIII women’s golf team, serving as captain her senior year.
A North Carolina native, Caroline grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, and now calls Charlotte home.
Peyton Gehron, Retail Broker/Leasing Consultant
Email Peyton: peyton@thriftcres.com
Call Peyton: (704) 650-0605
Education:
B.A. in Communication
Appalachian State University, 2003
Business History:
Peyton joined Thrift Commercial in 2020 as a Leasing Consultant. Her focus is on Landlord relationships, providing expertise in developing tenant mix and deal negotiations.
Peyton started her career 17 years ago with New South Properties where she specialized in third party Landlord representation and Tenant representation. Most recently she was the Senior Leasing Broker for Lat Purser and Associates where her focus was the company’s retail portfolio as well as third party leasing.
Peyton is a Charlotte native and continues to live in the city with her husband, Jake, sons Trey and Sam and daughter, Welles.
Peyton is a licensed broker in North Carolina and Broker in Charge in South Carolina.
Education:
B.A. in History
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2010
Business History:
Lucy joined Thrift Commercial Real Estate Services in 2017 as Marketing Director and is responsible for preparing and distributing marketing materials/packages including property flyers, maps, tour books, and other related materials, and assisting brokers. In addition to handling the marketing for Thrift, Lucy is also a licensed real estate broker in North Carolina.
Prior to joining Thrift, Lucy spent over five years in the customer service and retail industry. She is a native to Winston-Salem, but currently resides in Charlotte, NC.
Education
B.A. in History and Spanish
University of Virginia, 2008
Business History
Alex joined Thrift Commercial in 2021 as a broker where she specializes in office leasing. Alex has a creative approach to agency leasing, as well as a tenant’s mentality that enables her to best position assets to potential occupiers. She is consultative and provides clients with highest level of leasing and market expertise.
Prior to joining Thrift, Alex spent 11 years at JLL in Charlotte, NC, London, U.K, New York, NY, and Washington, D.C. Previous experience includes working at Clark Realty Capital in Northern Virginia where she was a development associate.
Alex is a native of McLean, Virginia but now calls Charlotte home where she resides with her husband, Barlow and her daughter Abigail and son, Barlow.
Alex is a licensed Real Estate Broker in North Carolina and Virginia.
Education
B.A. in Finance
Wofford College, 2015
Business History
Jay has been a commercial real estate professional since February 2016 where he started his career in research for Cushman & Wakefield in Charlotte. There he primarily focused on office and Industrial assets. In August of 2017 Jay joined Thrift CRES to focus primarily on retail project leasing, Tenant site selection, and purchase and sale brokerage activities. Since then, Jay has led or participated in over 100 lease and purchase transactions. As a Charlotte native, Jay has become a valuable resource for clients with his extensive knowledge and understanding of the area and local market.
Education
B.A. in Business Administration
Southern Methodist University, 1996
Business History
Stephen joined Thrift Commercial in 2021, specializing in office brokerage. His focus is on creating value for owners of office properties, including the selection, development and leasing of projects.
Prior to joining Thrift Commercial, Stephen was a part of the Agency team at JLL for almost 8 years, focusing on third party Landlord brokerage in all of the major office submarkets of Charlotte. He began his commercial real estate career with MPV Properties where he spent 7 years gaining experience in office, industrial and land brokerage.
Stephen played professional golf for 11 years after graduating from SMU. He played on various tours, including the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Canadian PGA Tour to name a few. His greatest thrill was competing in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Stephen is a Charlotte native and continues to live in the city with his wife, Carrie, and children Lucy and Walt.
Stephen is a licensed broker in North Carolina and South Carolina.