Psst. Hey buddy. Wanna buy a coffee shop?
Word spread like wildfire earlier this week that the Starbucks at 202 Main Street, the one at the prime corner of Westminster and Main, is pulling out.
But that word came only through anonymous Starbucks employees. Despite repeated attempts, PentictonNow has since been unable to reach anyone at Starbucks HQ who would give us a firm yay or nay or release any details.
But now we have a clearer picture. According to Peter Byrnes, commercial realtor with Coldwell Banker, Starbucks is indeed pulling out. They'll be gone officially on March 11, 2020.
And as of right this minute, the space that Starbucks leased, all 1560 square feet of it, is on the open market.
"The Starbucks lease terminates on March 11th," said Byrnes, who has been hired as listing agent by the property's current owner. "The listing will become public on Monday, but if someone contacted me now, I'm ready to go."
Byrnes would not divulge the price to PentictonNow. But he did say the owner doesn't want to lease to just anybody.
"It's a real iconic corner," said Byrnes. "It’s a classic. And the owner feels it's important that the successful tenant is not only a good fit for the building, but also for the community. He really feels he has an obligation to the people of Penticton to get the right business on that corner."
But Byrnes' connection with 202 Main go far beyond his status as listing agent. And that's what makes this story so interesting.
Not long ago, Byrnes himself was the owner of the property and of the business that preceded Starbucks. It was called Hog's Breath Coffee Company.
"Yeah, I was there for four or five years," he said today. "It's the best location in town. For anything to do with cafés, restaurants, and food services, there's no better corner than that."
When Byrnes bought the place in the late 90s, it was already know as Hog's Breath. And under his ownership, it turned into a bit of a mecca for the Penticton endurance sport community.
That’s what happens when a long-distance triathlete, which Byrnes has been for quite some time, runs a coffee shop.
But in 2003, he sold. To the current owner.
"You have to be in that business to fully understand it," he said. "It's physically demanding. It’s for somebody who's a lot younger than I was. I started my day at 4:30 in the morning. It's for the young."
According to Byrnes, the current owner "operated it as Hog's Breath for a couple years after that, and then they were approached by Starbucks."
Byrnes doesn’t know why Starbucks waved bye-bye to the location. But he did speculate.
"Their business model typically works around drive-thrus. That's probably why you won't see a Tim Horton's go into that location. The volume they get through their drive-thrus, it's harder for them to make it in downtown locations like that."
Byrnes said that Starbucks will leave all the fixtures behind, but take away tables, chairs, and equipment. He added that "we would then work with the new tenant to help secure the lease with the city on the lawn and seating area that extends out toward the intersection."
Byrnes added that the patio space directly in front of the building is included in the listing.
"I've already had phone calls on this," he said. "Because I do commercial and because of my history with the property. This is exciting for me too. I'm a firm believer in that location."
We asked him if vagrancy had any influence on his decision to ultimately sell. And Byrnes said he'd "never had an issue in all my time there."
"It's time for a fresh start. I'm excited that we could get another local, independent business person on that corner."
Peter Byrnes can be reached at 250-809-9967 or here.
