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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 1998
Purchases of Rockport real estate on the rise
Retirees, baby boomers starting their own business or re-opening another in resort town
By DAVID SIKES
Staff WriterROCKPORT -- Bob Brown is buying up everything in town with his name on it and then some.
Fortunately, the only real estate his wife, Brenda, found with her husband's name on it was Bahama Bob's Bar & Grill.
``I was just driving by and saw the place,'' Brenda Brown said about the big pink Austin Street building that had been empty for about four years. ``I called Bob on the cell phone and said, `Honey, there's a restaurant here with your name on it. You want to come look at it? He said `Sure,' and the rest is history.''
The Browns, who moved their commercial waterproofing and restoration business to Rockport in November, later purchased another abandoned property in Rockport and are looking for more. They consider their mini buying spree an act of faith -- faith in their resolve and in the economic growth of the area. They've spent about $420,000 on 8,000 square feet of commercial space.
City leaders and chamber of commerce officials say they appreciate the vote of confidence from a growing number of businesses that have opened or expanded in recent months.
Rockport's newest business owners, who are mostly baby boomers or young retirees, say the city's charm had as much to do with their decision to relocate as did the economic opportunities.
Through July, 15 new businesses, including three new restaurants, have opened, mostly in vacant properties, in the Rockport-Fulton area, said Diane Probst, executive director of the Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce.
During all of 1997, no new restaurants opened and about 10 new businesses started in the Rockport area, Probst said.
Chamber memberships so far this year are up by 25 compared with the new-member total through July 1997, she said.
In addition to the re-occupation of existing shops, about $3 million in new commercial construction has been permitted in the past 18 months, city records show. That compares to $2.2 million for the previous 18-month period.
City officials say the current commercial spurt follows several years of unprecedented housing growth. New home starts more than doubled from 45 houses in 1994 to 101 in 1995, said Mike Henry, Rockport's director of building and development.
In 1997, 125 homes were begun and housing starts are on track to total about 170 for 1998, Henry said.
Retired teacher Fred Huddleston recently left San Antonio to open Rockport Hobby, a 2,000-square-foot hobby and crafts shop.
Huddleston, 60, and his wife, had been weekend residents of Rockport for about four years before decided to quit their jobs and start over in the resort community they love.
They plan to start two more businesses after settling down.
Longtime shop owners say business is better than ever and that there is room for additional retail competition.
``Business is better than I've ever seen it,'' said Dan Gill, 51, who recently relocated his 1,250-square-foot jewelry shop into a 3,250-square-foot abandoned building in downtown Rockport. ``Sales have been going gangbusters since the fall.''
Gill, along with his wife, Joey, also owns a nautical gift shop on Austin Street that is doing a brisk business. The Gills, who have been in business 13 years, lease or own about 5,700 square feet of commercial space in town.
The town's commercial space is now about 90 percent occupied.
``There's not much left,'' real estate agent Jim Godfrey said. ``We never really had a whole lot of vacant commercial space to begin with. And there hasn't been much need for it until now. Everything is starting to wake up around here.''
Probst said that commercial construction is the next logical step.
``It's like a shot in the arm when somebody comes in and occupies a vacant business,'' she said. ``We hope their confidence and energy is contagious.''
But not everyone shares the Browns' confidence.
After finding Bahama Bob's in April, the Browns began searching for a lender.
``The banks wouldn't touch it,'' Bob Brown said. ``And then two prospective investors bailed out.''
Local banker Don Hanks said that about half of the new entrepreneurs in Rockport arrive with enough capital to start their business.
Not deterred by the lack of investors, the Browns cashed in their retirement savings and bought the property outright for $150,000, despite having no restaurant experience.
Their goal was to be serving customers by July Fourth.
Impossible, said friends, including one Houston buddy who bet a beer that they would fail.
``Everyone said it couldn't be done,'' Brown said. ``That was my motivation. Me and my construction crew worked an average of 20 hours a day. It was an adventure.''
Bahama Bob's reopened July 1.
Brown's Houston friend was at the opening to eat his words and buy that beer.
After the opening, the Browns began renovating the restaurant's upstairs into a sports bar with a dance floor and stage. They plan to play music from the 1950s, '60s and '70s, to attract baby boomers.
The upstairs opened last weekend.
Brown also wants to build a rooftop cafe overlooking Aransas Bay and Rockport Harbor.
More than 40 local residents are already on the Browns' payroll, including 36 at the restaurant.
Dave Brown, who is Bob's brother and the chef, will eventually run the restaurant with his wife and Brenda, Brown said.
For now, Bob Brown has put his contracting business on hold to work on the restaurant and to clean up an abandoned gas station he purchased a few blocks away. He hopes to either sell the gas station or attract a partner to open a fast food restaurant there.
Soon, an Aransas Pass property also may get a new look, Brown said about another real estate deal he is negotiating.
``I like the experience of driving by something I've restored,'' he said. ``It's a phenomenal feeling. There's too much opportunity in Rockport to relax.''Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web