Call off the moving trucks: The Bean isn’t going anywhere.
A month after being told to move when its lease expired in 2013, Fan pub Baja Bean Co. and its landlord have signed a new three-year agreement.
Baja’s lease now runs through 2016.
“We really couldn’t be happier,” Baja owner Ron Morse said. “Our landlord has been very pleasant to work with on this. It’s a tremendous weight off our shoulders.”
Baja’s landlord, local attorney and former city council member John Conrad, said in September that he had decided not to renew Baja’s lease so that he could redevelop the space and prized outdoor courtyard.
Morse said that, as part of the deal, he and Conrad would split the cost of renovating the courtyard.
Conrad said in an email to Richmond BizSense that he decided to renew Baja’s lease because it is a stable tenant. Baja is in the basement of Conrad’s 19th-century building West Main Street and Lombardy streets.
“Economically Baja has had a proven record of success, and Baja has agreed to work with us in making improvements to the courtyard,” Conrad wrote.
Baja Bean’s patio area. (photos by David Larter)
Jeff Allums, a managing partner of the Richmond Baja Bean, said he was excited to have had his lease renewed and is looking forward to sprucing up the space.
“If you look at what I’ve got out there now, I mean, it’s 25 years old,” Allums said. “Our first priority is to get that fixed up, and we should have that done by March.”
Allums said that when both parties sat down to hammer out a deal, they found common ground.
“We’d been talking back and forth for a while,” he said. “We’re both smart businessmen, and, once we started working together, I think we both realized we’re not as far apart as we thought we were.”
Conrad and Allums were surprised by the volume of emails, tweets and calls generated by news of a possible Baja closure.
After BizSense broke the news about Baja’s troubles, Allums was inundated with encouragement from loyal patrons. A Facebook page sprung up within hours called “Save Baja Bean.” It got more than 2,200 “likes.”
“I was floored,” Allums said. “I’m still floored. We had one woman who had moved out of Richmond to California write a letter of support to John [Conrad]. She didn’t need to do that. She didn’t need to take time to help us out, but I think it did help. It was amazing to see that. We’re in a really good place as a business right now.”
Call off the moving trucks: The Bean isn’t going anywhere.
A month after being told to move when its lease expired in 2013, Fan pub Baja Bean Co. and its landlord have signed a new three-year agreement.
Baja’s lease now runs through 2016.
“We really couldn’t be happier,” Baja owner Ron Morse said. “Our landlord has been very pleasant to work with on this. It’s a tremendous weight off our shoulders.”
Baja’s landlord, local attorney and former city council member John Conrad, said in September that he had decided not to renew Baja’s lease so that he could redevelop the space and prized outdoor courtyard.
Morse said that, as part of the deal, he and Conrad would split the cost of renovating the courtyard.
Conrad said in an email to Richmond BizSense that he decided to renew Baja’s lease because it is a stable tenant. Baja is in the basement of Conrad’s 19th-century building West Main Street and Lombardy streets.
“Economically Baja has had a proven record of success, and Baja has agreed to work with us in making improvements to the courtyard,” Conrad wrote.
Baja Bean’s patio area. (photos by David Larter)
Jeff Allums, a managing partner of the Richmond Baja Bean, said he was excited to have had his lease renewed and is looking forward to sprucing up the space.
“If you look at what I’ve got out there now, I mean, it’s 25 years old,” Allums said. “Our first priority is to get that fixed up, and we should have that done by March.”
Allums said that when both parties sat down to hammer out a deal, they found common ground.
“We’d been talking back and forth for a while,” he said. “We’re both smart businessmen, and, once we started working together, I think we both realized we’re not as far apart as we thought we were.”
Conrad and Allums were surprised by the volume of emails, tweets and calls generated by news of a possible Baja closure.
After BizSense broke the news about Baja’s troubles, Allums was inundated with encouragement from loyal patrons. A Facebook page sprung up within hours called “Save Baja Bean.” It got more than 2,200 “likes.”
“I was floored,” Allums said. “I’m still floored. We had one woman who had moved out of Richmond to California write a letter of support to John [Conrad]. She didn’t need to do that. She didn’t need to take time to help us out, but I think it did help. It was amazing to see that. We’re in a really good place as a business right now.”
GOOD NEWS!!
Terrible news… Maybe the publicity will open their eyes to how awful food and service is.
ironic how the Romney campaign is capitalizing on the close of Bill’s when this story also makes the news the same day.
U r missing the point, ike. The place is an institution. And the food is cheap & good. The fan needs more places like baja.
I was hoping it would be replaced with something decent… It’s a great space