Pub No More, Seasons to Become Retail Space

The owners of the Oak Bluffs building that once housed Seasons Eatery and Pub have plans to convert it to retail space.

The Circuit avenue establishment has been a restaurant for many decades, but interior renovations this winter will create three separate retail shops. Seasons, a year-round bar, closed its doors in February of 2013 after 27 years.

At the time, owner Bob Murphy cited fatigue with the many demands of running a restaurant. He had hoped that it would continue as a restaurant, under new ownership, but he couldnt find the right fit.

A restaurant is an intense use and there is a lot to it, so it had to be the right combination or the right person coming on, Mr. Murphy said by phone this week.

About a year after the bar closed, Mr. Murphy and his partner, Jim Ryan, began to discuss other possibilities for the building. They settled on retail; three stores of 1,000 square feet, each with a street-facing storefront.

It was the easier of the options, simply because its less maintenance and less traffic, and its an easier thing to live with, Mr. Murphy said. He said he has received a lot of inquiries about the space, he said, including from people who still see it as an eatery. Not that many people came forward when we were looking for restaurants, and now that we are doing this [renovation], people are coming out of the woodwork, saying, can we still have it as a restaurant?

The project is expected to be completed in early February. Mr. Murphy said he and his partner are just beginning to whittle down the inquiries they have received from prospective tenants.

Construction did not begin until late fall because of buildings prominent location on the towns business thoroughfare, and proximity to the Camp Ground.

We think its quality retail we are putting in, he said. We are hoping these will be up to date and nice-looking properties.

Architect Chuck Sullivan designed the buildings makeover. Mr. Murphy said he did not yet know how much it will cost to rent each unit. Before Seasons, 19 Circuit avenue was home to the Boston House, which occupied both the Seasons building and the adjacent structure.

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Pub No More, Seasons to Become Retail Space