Another sign that the redevelopment of Wynwood is picking up steam: the neighborhood is getting its first internationally recognized brand.

Ducati, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, will open a showroom, retail store, repair shop, and possible café in Wynwood before the end of the year. It will be located at the southeast corner of Northwest 2nd Avenue and Northwest 29th Street at the entrance to what is becoming known as the Wynwood café district.

“This is a sexy, international, luxury brand that has a cool factor,” said Tony Cho, principal of Metro 1 Properties and owner of the building where Ducati is leasing space. “They’re going to be a great anchor for the neighborhood. It stamps Wynwood with the seal of approval.”

The Miami franchisee chose Wynwood over potential locations in South Beach and Coral Gables. Ducati is relocating from its current location in Miami Gardens.

Cho admits that initially Ducati representatives were skeptical about the area after driving around a dark and desolate Wynwood neighborhood on a Monday night about eight months ago. But just in a short period of time the area has seen improvements with the opening of more restaurants and café’s, plus national publicity has helped draw everyone from tourists to professional photo shoots interested in checking out the graffiti-covered walls.

The industrial manufacturing area has evolved into a haven for creative entrepreneurs opening restaurants, bars, and offices. They’re joining the art galleries that were the first to stake a claim in the neighborhood.

Those changes have pushed up prices for the sale and lease of property in the last year. Retail rental rates along the main thoroughfares have increased almost 100 percent in certain blocks, and the total value of properties sold jumped by more than 400 percent to $94.1 million, according to Metro 1.

Demand for real estate in Wynwood has been bolstered by a combination of factors, including the success of Midtown Miami and the plans to bring a collection of luxury fashion brands to the Design District. In some cases, tenants getting priced out of those areas — or Miami Beach — are viewing Wynwood as the next up-and-coming neighborhood.

Ultimately, Ducati was attracted to the creative nature of the neighborhood and believed in its future, Cho said. It didn’t hurt that the rent prices are about a third of what they would have had to pay in South Beach. Rents on Northwest Second Avenue are in the mid-$20s per square foot and Ducati signed before recent price increases, Cho said. He purchased the land in November and with redeveloping the site plans to spend about a total of $2 million. The site also has room for another café and retail shop or restaurant.

“Having Ducati as a neighbor makes it an easier sell,” Cho said. “They’re really pioneers. It’s hard to be the first. This is going to be a symbol of things to come.”