Elizabeth Scalice, owner of Architectural Salvage in Little Italy, with her husband, Fred Carson (far right); Enrique Barragan, store manager (left); and salesman James Walker.

When Elizabeth Scalice leased a small building space in Little Italy to open Architectural Salvage, she didn’t intend to stay long. What she really wanted to do was buy a permanent home from which to sell her pre-World War II merchandise.

But a lot of years got in the way. Ten years after she opened her store at 1971 India St., Scalice is ready to realize her long-held ambition. She purchased a 5,000-square-foot building at 2401 Kettner Blvd. for $1 million — it’s four blocks away — and expects to open it this summer, perhaps at the end of June. “We’re going to make it my salvage dream,” she says.

A San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau newsletter once called Scalice’s business a “quaint corner store filled to the brim with building artifacts saved from the wrecking ball.” But Scalice says it will be much more than stained-glass windows, glass doorknobs, iron works, doors, grates, sinks and period hinges that she will sell at the new place. She intends to carry a line of “green” products such as PaperStone, a composite material made of recycled paper that can be used for countertops. “I’m looking at a line of hardware that supports sustainability. I think it will complement what we are doing now,” says Scalice.

Moving on up: Architectural Salvage will expand to 5,000 square feet with a relocation to Kettner Boulevard in June.

Enrique Barragan, the store manager, has been with Scalice for eight years. She intends to add staff at the new building and will get additional help from her husband, Fred Carson, who runs a nonprofit organization called The Dads Club.

Architectural Salvage attracts a variety of customers. Some are doing period restorations and are looking for authentic merchandise. Others are involved in new construction but are looking for period pieces to add character. “From the day we opened, it’s been crazy,” says Scalice. “People just love it. They embrace the concept.”

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Pacifica Cos. has purchased Columbia Court, a four-story office building at 444 W. C St., and intends to convert the 28,233-square-foot structure to office condominiums. Columbia Court Office Condos will have 20 units ranging from 369 square feet to 4,500 square feet in prices from $202,000 to $2 million, says broker Mike Demko. Demko says the project is suited for attorneys, architects, CPAs and other small business operations. The Busby Family Trust and the Shoemaker Family Trust sold the building for $6.3 million. The transaction was brokered by Steve Rowland and Michael Roberts of Grubb & Ellis|BRE Commercial. For more information, call Demko at (858) 232-3141.

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444 W. Beech St. was sold for $7.5 million.

The office building at 444 W. Beech St. in Little Italy has been sold for $7.5 million. The buyer was Dick Bonner. The 28,275-square-foot building was sold by BCL Inc. It is situated on a 20,000-square-foot lot and is fully leased to five tenants. The seller was represented by Louay Alsadek, Kraig Kristofferson, Evan August and Stacy Meronoff of CB Richard Ellis. The buyer was represented by Patrick Miller, Matt Weaver and Steve Bruce of Lee & Associates.

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Tenant improvements have been completed for the law offices of Sullivan, Hill, Lewin, Rez & Engel at 550 W. Broadway. The offices were expanded to 18,200 square feet and work included installation of new carpeting and wallcoverings. Johnson & Jennings General Contracting was retained by CB Richard Ellis, the property manager, to do the work. Joe Weaver was project manager for Johnson & Jennings with Mike Kirkendall as onsite superintendent. Quality Paint was a subcontractor.

The Downtown Relocations column features news on firms that are abandoning, embracing or expanding in the 92101 ZIP code. Send submissions to Manny Cruz: manny @sandiegometro.com.