The Front Street Cafe, located across the street from the Ohio River in New Richmond, is for sale.

The Front Street Cafe, located across the street from the Ohio River in New Richmond, is for sale.
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Front Street Cafe owner, Robert Lees, has put his popular New Richmond cafe on the market.

The café is listed as a “Business Opportunity” with the commercial real estate agency The Ever-est Group, based in Cincinnati. Tom Dix is the listing agent.

“There’s no interested party,” said Lees. “I’m just doing some outreach to see what the market is like.”

Front Street Café is located at 120 Front St., across from the Ohio River.

The real estate brochure lists the sale as two 19th century buildings that can be combined for business expansion. The two buildings, one 2,525 square feet with two second floor apartments, and the other 1, 218 square feet with one second floor apartment, are on one lot with frontage on two streets.

Selling features are listed as an award-winning, well established cafe/bistro, all fixtures and equipment included, liquor license D1, 2, 3 and 6 included, large rear courtyard entertainment area, ample parking and known widely for live entertainment and great food.

“It’s a really unique situation for the right person,” Dix said. “Bob has the time and patience to wait for the right buyer.”

The sale price is negotiable between the buyer and the seller, according to Dix.

“If someone came up with the right price and the right business plan, I would sell,” Lees said.

He added that he would also be interested in partnering to run the business.

“I would be pleasantly surprised if someone were to come up and purchase or partner,” Less said. “I’m just as interested in partnering.”

Lees, who is in his 60s, said he’s looking to step away from the day-to-day business operations of the café to spend time with family, including grandchildren who live abroad.

“I’m not trying to bail on my business. I still want to be involved,” Lees said. “I just need to see the grandbabies.”

Lees, who was born in New Richmond, has worked as Secretary General, President and CEO of Pacific Basin Economic Council, the Asia Pacific region’s oldest business organization, accord-ing to Lees’s personal website. He has lived in Hawaii and Hong Kong.

“The happiest days of my life were when we moved back [to New Richmond] in 2006,” said Lees, who opened the Front Street Café in November 2007.

“I moved home because Front Street had so many vacant businesses,” Lees said. “The main rea-son we opened the café was to create a space where people could think good things and do good things.”

Lees said he’s proud that his business has served as an engine of economic development for New Richmond.

“I feel good about what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Lees. “Each time I look at a new business opening here, I smile,” said Lees. “I dreamed this would happen.”

He added, “I love my hometown and customers. I just need to take some time to smell the roses.”