By Jamie Norton
If you’ve ever wanted to run a business in downtown Granville, now may be the perfect time to jump on it.
Scotties’ Coffee Shop, Main Street’s longtime cornerstone business, was put up for sale earlier this week. That wasn’t surprising since the popular gathering spot suddenly closed its doors and laid off its employees last month. What was surprising, however, was the price being asked.
The convenience store/restaurant, which had been operating for more than 80 years before it closed, was posted for a bargain-bin price of $67,500 – cheaper than most houses. That price included the building, the land, and all the still-functioning equipment inside.
Real estate broker Bob Tressler of Heritage Manor Realty is handling the sale, and he said the reason it’s so cheap is because owner Tom Scott and his family knows ignored how important the restaurant was, not only to the community, but to the vitality of Main Street.
“It’s the desire of the Scott family that it continue as an operating business,” Tressler said. “That’s their hope that somebody will grab it at that price and get it back open as soon as possible.”
Tressler met with the family last week, signed the paperwork, and the sale was activated over the weekend. He said the assessed value of the building and land alone is north of $90,000, and that doesn’t include the kitchen equipment and everything that a prospective owner would have to purchase if they were to build a business like this from the ground up.
“The business itself is arguably the best-known business in the village, and implied in the purchase of it is that kind of goodwill,” Tressler said. “If somebody were to just buy a building of that size and all the equipment and start a business from scratch, it would cost a lot more.”
Scotties’ had been run by the same family for 83 years before it abruptly closed at the end of business on Oct. 5. Employees were given no advance notice, but several were able to obtain jobs elsewhere relatively quickly. So any prospective owner would need to hire a new staff in addition to any other changes or renovations they may deem suitable.
But starting with such a low base price may open up opportunities to people who may not otherwise be able to afford to open their own business. And it would be a business welcomed with open arms to a downtown that has been floundering the last few years with several businesses closing.
“It really is a wonderful opportunity for somebody who’s dreamed of running and owning a business like this,” Tressler said. “It’s priced very aggressively, and therefore it is my hope it will sell quickly. I think everybody in Granville realizes the importance of the health of this business to Main Street in Granville.”