Downtown Businesses Vow To Continue Despite Real Estate Going On The Market

A handful of downtown businesses - including Force 5 Watersports, Jewel In the Sea, and B-ACK Yard BBQ - are operating on properties that have recently been put on the market, but the establishments are hoping to remain in business nonetheless.

Force 5, the surf shop and sporting goods store that first opened its doors more than 40 years ago, has operated out of several locations over the years and has been located at 6 Union Street since 1999. The property, owned by the Brooks family, is now on the market for $9.9 million.

"The business is absolutely not for sale, but the property is," said Force 5 Watersports president Jesse Brooks, who has worked at the shop since he was 16. "The store will definitely live on, for sure. We're already actively searching for somewhere else to move it."

The building at 6 Union Street - previously the historic 16-bedroom Ayers Guest House - is considered "an iconic downtown landmark" and the two attached buildings include 8,592 square feet.

Just a short distance away, 20 Straight Wharf - home of the B-ACK Yard BBQ restaurant - is also on the market. That property is being listed for $13.9 million by owner and investor Bernard Chiu, who has owned the former home of Cap'n Tobey's Chowder House since 2012.

B-ACK Yard BBQ owner Denise Corson said she was unsure what would happen with a potential sale of the building, but the hope and goal is to continue operating the restaurant at the location moving forward.

"Bernard is one of my favorite people," Corson said. ."He gave Fred (Bisaillon) and me our start and took a chance on us. I’ll be sad if he does sell it, but I’m excited for him that he's moving on to the next chapter. If I have anything to say, it’s that I’ll miss him if he does sell it."

Chiu, who founded Upland Capital, a real estate investment company, once owned several island properties including the Nesbitt Inn and a compound in Squam, but has since sold off all but one of his Nantucket holdings and spends time on Martha's Vineyard, where he owns the Harbor View Hotel.

The property at 20 Straight Wharf, listed by J. Pepper Frazier Real Estate, is being marketed as "a profitable restaurant on the first floor, two-bedroom two-and-a-half bath with great views of the harbor, one-bedroom, one-bath on the second floor and a three-bedroom three-and-a-half bath penthouse with spectacular views from the deck or the easily accessible roof walk. A great single-family home with commercial income."

Just steps away from B-ACK Yard BBQ, the property at 6 Straight Wharf - home of Jewel In The Sea jewelry store - went on the market earlier this month, listed by William Raveis for $4.5 million. The property includes two adjacent units - one commercial and one residential - and is owned by GTKT LLC, a limited liability company registered to Kelli Trainor.

Jack Pearson is co-owner of Jewel in the Sea alongside his wife Meg. They have kept the jewelry store open year-round at 6 Straight Wharf since 2016. Pearson emphasized to the Current that the business is not for sale, just the building, which he does not own.

“We have a lease through December 2025 and if someone were to buy it for commercial investment purposes we’d like to extend the lease here,” he said of the jewelry store. “We are under contract for another year and four months. Ideally, someone with interest in an established, long-term retail tenant will be the buyer if it sells. We’d like to keep doing business where we are. But Jewel in the Sea is not for sale at this time.”

The three properties are not the only downtown spots up for sale at the moment. In June, the White Heron Theatre property at 5 North Water Street went on the market for $13 million. Just around the corner, the commercial property at 16 Federal Street - currently home to the shop Atlantic - is also for sale, listed at $4.9 million.