Brighton lost its main downtown restaurant when the Japanese bistro and steakhouse Sagano closed in January, but new owners on the Main Street building plan to renovate the site into several new storefronts that could eventually create new shopping and restaurant opportunities.
Local real estate broker Todd Buckley is a partner in a newly formed limited liability corporation called Mill Pond Centennial Building, which acquired the building at 312, 314 and 316 W. Main St.
“The property will again be divided into three storefronts,” Buckley said, adding that construction will begin in the next few months.
Until the 1980s, the building housed a D&C store, when it was converted into three shop windows, which for many years occupied various businesses.
When Sagana opened Brighton in 2009, the 7,700-square-foot building was transformed into a single enterprise.
Buckley said the storefronts will be rented out to tenants or possibly occupied by owners.
“We are still working out the details of what will go there. Nothing has been determined yet, ”he said. He added that he prefers a combination of businesses.
“Ideally, at least one of these rooms would be a restaurant or a tavern,” he said.
Showcases can also be occupied by retail space or offices.
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Buckley said there is a possibility that part of the building may be occupied by the owners, but did not share details.
He and his wife Natalie Buckley are business owners on Main Street. Todd Buckley is a partner of the Buckley Jolley Real Estate team, and Natalie Buckley opened the Wallflower Mercantile gift shop earlier this year.
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“As a lifelong resident of Brighton, we’ll make sure we have good tenants,” Todd Buckley said. “We’ve always been interested (buying downtown real estate) and being in the real estate business, we felt it was an opportunity we couldn’t miss because it’s one of the downtown tent buildings.”
Pam McConaughey, president and CEO of the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce, said Brighton needs more retail downtown.
“I always preach it and I really believe in it because we have great restaurants, but we need more retail to support restaurants, and restaurants support retail,” McConaughey said. “I’m very excited to purchase this building (Buckley) because I know that everything that goes into it will be quality.”
Sagana leaves Brighton
In a January post on its Facebook page, the Brighton branch announced its closure.
Emily Huot, the restaurant’s director of personnel, said Livingston Daily in January there were several reasons why the company decided to sell its location in Brighton and focus on the four remaining locations in Fentan, Flint, Clarkston and Warren.
Huot cited product costs and staff shortages as problems.
The Brighton residence closed three days after a motion was filed in federal court to settle an employee’s claim for nearly $ 500,000 in tips.
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Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Timor at jtimar@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @jennifer_timar.