In a $4 million deal, a Charlotte-based real estate firm bought a Carolina Beach Road property occupied by the U.S. Postal Service.

Aston Properties bought the site at 5537 Carolina Beach Road on Oct. 16 from Come Rain Or Come Shine LLC of Houston, Texas, according to county records. The 4.4-acre parcel includes a 35,500-square-foot post office that "operates as a staging & cross-dock facility for the United States Postal Service (USPS), serving 5 other USPS stations in the City of Wilmington as well as stations in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach," stated marketing materials by listing agency CBRE.

The USPS has been a long-term tenant, the flyer states, with a lease that ends in June 2026.

Jamie Kneisel, managing partner at Aston Capital, said Wednesday, "We're excited to be investing in Wilmington." He cited the new Target under construction nearby and the fact that his company manages Lowes Foods at 5309 Carolina Beach Road as factors that helped make the purchase a good opportunity. Asked about whether Aston might want to redevelop the property, he said the company is "focused on the tenant we have right now."

According to an email from a USPS spokesman, "The Postal Service plans to continue operations at the current location and fulfill the terms of the lease."

Aston Properties also owns Shallotte Crossing, a Belk- and Home Depot-anchored shopping center in the Brunswick County town of Shallotte.

With its growth and features like the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Kneisel said the Wilmington area has "a lot of attractive real estate fundamentals." Aston will continue to look for opportunities to invest in Wilmington properties, he said.

The marketing materials pointed out some of the specifics of this growth: "The area’s proximity to grocery stores, restaurants, and other services have spurred development of new multifamily and retail projects on Carolina Beach Road, including two 257-unit and 225-unit apartment complexes on the intersection of Carolina Beach Rd. and Independence Blvd. and a new commercial center on the intersection of Carolina Beach Rd. and Seabreeze Rd."