The Stellbergers, the Duo Behind Happier Grocery, Explained
Two former soccer-star brothers from Colorado have built a niche buying run-down properties and giving them a hipster makeover. Now, they may be bringing their formula to Carroll Gardens.
Dawson and Wells Stellberger are the names behind Happier Grocery, the buzzy Soho market that has grown into a community and event space with a distinctly downtown vibe. The brothers appear to be eyeing their next canvas in the leafy brownstone-lined Brooklyn neighborhood, where an entity tied to Dawson Stellberger paid $21.5 million for a mixed-use building at 291 President Street and an adjacent development site at 336 Union Street.
The buyer’s name — Happier Grocery President LLC — suggests the Stellbergers could be plotting a Brooklyn outpost of their grocery-slash-community space. But the unusual buyer structure leaves plenty of questions about who else is behind the deal.
The purchase was made in care of 99c Capital Partners, adding another layer of mystery. 99c Capital Partners has been snapping up buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn in recent years, according to property records. The limited liability company owns at least 10 commercial buildings across the two boroughs.
Stellberger has previously confirmed to The Real Deal that he is a partner at 99c, the real estate investment firm associated with Quebec businessman Carlo Bellini behind the purchases of the former AIG building at 175 Water Street and a 41-story office tower at 180 Maiden Lane. In 2022, sources told TRD that billionaire Ken Dart was part of a group of high-net-worth investors Bellini and Stellberger raised funds from in the U.K., but later dropped out of the investment group.
99c is also under contract to buy Rudin’s 110 Wall Street, according to The Promote.
The real estate brother
How the brothers from Crested Butte, Colorado, connected with the Dart and Bellini families remains a mystery. Dawson is the founder of Bushwack Capital, a New York-based real estate firm that has developed more than 25 multifamily and industrial properties in Brooklyn, according to a 2024 NYC Economic Development Corporation filing. His portfolio has included a mix of residential, industrial and commercial properties, mostly in Brooklyn.
One of his early deals was 599 Johnson Avenue in Bushwick, a former furniture warehouse that Bushwack transformed into a 24,000-square-foot space that houses the live music venue Elsewhere. At 154 Scott Avenue, Bushwack bought a former steel factory and repositioned it as a membership club with co-working space, production studios, dining, health and wellness facilities, and a members-only club called SAA.
In a 2024 New York Times article, Dawson described his real estate strategy as seeking out buildings that are “out of favor” and finding ways to “activate them and build community.”
That thesis eventually took him to the Financial District, where he became involved in 175 Water Street, the 31-story tower now known as WSA. An ownership group including Stellberger and London-based real estate developer Matthew Khalil transformed the office building into an unconventional hub for fashion, arts, technology and other creative tenants. Its events have drawn celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny.
The creative brother
Wells Stellberger took a different route into the business. He worked for years as a designer at Marc Jacobs before moving into hospitality and nightlife, according to the New York Times. He opened Bushwick event space 99 Scott with art industry veteran Molly McIver in 2016 and the pair later opened the since-shuttered Brooklyn restaurant Outerspace.
The brothers’ latest venture is Happier Grocery. The Canal Street grocery store opened in 2023 and sells food and wellness products. The space includes an event area known as the Apartment, where it has hosted dinners, yoga and workshops.
Both Happier Grocery and WSA are part of Happier People Management, a hospitality management and staffing company founded in 2020. The group also operates SAA, events space 99 Scott and Bright Eye Production, a catering kitchen, according to the New York Times.
Dawson played soccer at the University of Michigan and Wells played at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, according to the schools’ websites. But the brothers have kept a low profile. Bushwack has no website or physical location. The address listed on the deed for the Carroll Gardens property traces back to a post office box nearby.
“We like to kind of remain in the background,” Dawson told the New York Times. “I think there are a lot of big personalities in New York City real estate and hospitality. It’s just not sort of our ethos.”
The Stellbergers did not respond to requests for comment.
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