Tiki Bar For Sale

[KBlues]

I saw in a real estate magazine yesterday that the Tiki Bar and seven other buildings surrounding it are for sale. Asking price.... $3.5 million.

Anyone know why the owners have decided to sell, and has there been any talk of a potential buyer?

 

[giggles04]

hmmmm.... news to me. Hadn't heard that one!

 

[KBlues]

Yeah, I was being nosy and checking out the increasing prices for homes in SoMd, and I came across it. I saw it it one of those free real estate books you can get almost everywhere. I'll see if I can find anything online.

 

[RoseRed]

It has been for sale for the last couple of years. I think the owners are just ready to be done with it. When I last spoke with them, they indicated that they really hadn't had to many bites.

 

[Otter]

Rose is right, its been pretty much an open secret that its been on the market for a while but not advertised til the past 3 or 4 months(maybe longer). Wonder if ownership changes hands, does the motel/building need to be brought up to code?..that could be quite expensive.

 

[RoseRed]

I had heard that one of the large chain hotels had taken a look at it and wanted to tear it down and put up a high rise (2-3 floors) and the Solomons business association nixed the idea. Not sure if that is true though.

 

[cattitude]

Rose...we heard the same thing. Locals want to keep the area on a smaller scale..nothing big.

Just think, only $300K down and then payments!! Woo-hooo! Sounds good at first but to rennovate and bring stuff current code-wise would be extremely expensive.

 

[RoseRed]

and Lord knows, we don't want to lose our beloved Tiki Bar

 

[sleuth]

The Tiki Bar isn't that great but I guess we don't have much choice.

What I want to know is why does Solomon's Pier close their deck at 10:00 pm in the summers? That is absolutely ridiculous! There is so much money to be made there if they'd try to cater to a 20something crowd. The live music they have there is great, but limit it to the weekdays, and play some of the music that Harbor Sounds plays on the weekends. Make it a nightspot that closes at 2 am instead of 10 pm. They have a jackpot sitting right there and don't realize it. They are the only bar that is actually *on* the water instead of *by* the water.

 

[cattitude]

Solomons Pier

has been any number of things over the past 15 years. At one time, it did cater to the younger crowd. Have you ever tried to get off the Island after drinking? It is a major deterrant. Tiki is legendary, and that's much of the draw, plus it seems to be an older crowd and people can mill around very close to the water and you can actually talk to people w/o the loud music and dancing that is associated with the Pier.

 

[blueeyes76]

Somon's Pier used to be a big nightspot on the island. I know they had a lot of trouble in there, underage drinking, fighting, etc. That's probably one of the reasons it isn't open late.

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by RoseRed
I had heard that one of the large chain hotels had taken a look at it and wanted to tear it down and put up a high rise (2-3 floors) and the Solomons business association nixed the idea. Not sure if that is true though.

Sounds questionable to me.

First, there's not enough land at that spot to accommodate the footprint of a Holiday Inn Select-size hotel, unless the chain buys a LOT of surrounding homes. Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites recently expanded into Chincoteague, and these required a lot of land for parking.

Second, there could be height issues with the proximity to Pax River NAS.

Third, that end of the island can't handle the traffic. The Holiday Inn's access road is at the entrace to the island, at the intersection with the lower access road to the bridge.

 

[RoseRed]

Re: Solomons Pier

Originally posted by cattitude
has been any number of things over the past 15 years.

Remember when China Harbour (now 77 Charles Street) used to be Castaways?

There used to be a group of us that would walk from the Sneeky Bar to the Pier, then to Blastaways, then the Sneeky and so on.... back in the day you could walk around with an open container.

 

[SeaRide]

Originally posted by Tonio

Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites recently expanded into Chincoteague, and these required a lot of land for parking.

The Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites @Chincoteague was built on lot of STILTS in the channel and then fill in with dirt along with new bulkhead etc. I have watched it being built not far from my 2nd home on the island. I agreed with Tonia about the amount of land for parking lot.

Back to Tiki Bar being convert to something else.. Hmm... I was thinking of small motel like Red Roof/Super 8 but that would mean lot of renovation on plumbing ( big fat pipes for sewage etc) , electric, water access, fire lanes, and so forth. I find it hard to picture a hotel sit next to residental homes on the same side of the road. I know it does happens at Chincoteague Island but comparing Solomons itself being small in size.

 

[RoseRed]

Originally posted by Tonio
Sounds questionable to me.

That's why I said I didn't know if it was true... and I agree with your comments. I also believe that it would take away from the quaintness of the island.

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by SeaRide
The Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites @Chincoteague was built on lot of STILTS in the channel and then fill in with dirt along with new bulkhead etc. I have watched it being built not far from my 2nd home on the island. I agreed with Tonio about the amount of land for parking lot.

Thanks for the info, SeaRide! I go to Chincoteague two or three times a year, and I hadn't known about the stilts.

It just seems weird seeing big hotel chains moving there. Part of the reason I go is because I can get away from it all. It's a great alternative to Ocean City. Not that I would want the chains banned from the island, of course, but they do seem counter to the whole spirit of Chincoteague. What are your thoughts?

 

[sleuth]

Solomon's Island

Solomon's Island is a gold mine, but either there's too many regulations or just not enough cash for anyone to invest it.

Calvert County ought to invest in buying up the properties and zoning everything there commercial. They could bring a lot of jobs and even more tourism to the area if they'd just try to attract some 'beach-type' businesses.

My college town did a similar thing with a run-down area that sat on the banks of the river. Since the county laid the necessary the groundwork, it has exploded with growth. There's a nice movie theater, several new restaurants, and a handful of new nightspots. You combine that with the bay, the river, the view of the bridge, the marinas, and you have a lot of potential. The city of Solomon's Island could rival that of Annapolis (though I've never been to Annapolis, but I've heard it's pretty cool.)

 

[cattitude]

Perhaps Calvert County doesn't want Solomons to "explode with growth." If I want something like Annapolis, I'll drive to it. Solomons is a jewel...just the way it is.

I'm not sure how old you are Slueth, but I appreciate the quaintness of the Island. I'm sure it has to with the fact that I'm old now.

 

[Sharon]

Originally posted by cattitude
Solomons is a jewel...just the way it is.

Exactly!

 

[RoseRed]

Re: Solomon's Island

Originally posted by sleuth14
They could bring a lot of jobs and even more tourism to the area if they'd just try to attract some 'beach-type' businesses.

What exactly does that mean? Tee-shirt, piercing/tatoo, surf and taffy shops? Keep in mind that there isn't a beach on Solomons (except for the private and tiny ones across from Our Lady).

I'm with Catt and Sharon on this one. We like our own little slice in the world the way it is.