New owner of property at 24th and Spring hopes to attract businesses interested in Broadway traffic

QUINCY — Mike O’Brien says the property needs a little work, but he doesn’t believe it will take long for local business to become interested.

O’Brien owns O’Brien Insurance Agency at 419 S. 10^th. He also is the agent and manager of MMT O’Brien LLC, 1001 State Series, which recently spent $705,000 on Oct. 13 to buy a commercial building with multiple businesses at 412, 414, 416, 416R, 420 and 422 N. 24^th, across Spring Street from County Market.

The seller of the property, according to property tax documents filed in the Adams County Recorder’s Office, was Twenty-Fourth & Broadway Corp. Kent Durst and Daniel Durst of Quincy are the corporation agents.

iDeal Furniture was at 420 N. 24^th but recently closed. The Wash Tub, a laundromat, previously was at 422 N. 24^th. PCRE Real Estate and Auction was at 412 N. 24^th but no longer is there. The only active businesses on the property are Talk of the Town, a hair salon at 414 N. 24^th, and a pet grooming business in the back of 416 N. 24^th.

O’Brien says the property can be configured in many ways to accommodate potential buyers.

“There’s one space about 2,000 square feet that could be anything, because it has an office and little rooms in there,” he said. “Another section has about 800 square feet, and then there’s roughly another 2,000 square feet, which has a few office spaces. So roughly 5,000 feet of (the property) could be all one. Right now, all it has are open walls.

“(The former Wash Tub space) is about 4,000 square feet, and it’s just bare walls right now with concrete that needs to be fixed.”

O’Brien, who owns other rentals as well as commercial and residential spaces, said most of the units need “a little upgrade and a little paint.” He also wants to upgrade the parking lot.

The location of the property, less than a block from Broadway, made it enticing for O’Brien.

“We just need to clean up the building a little bit and trying to look for commercial occupants,” he said. “I honestly have been blessed with my commercial buildings. I’ve managed to find good tenants and try to find that right fit, whether it’s a retail shop, a service-oriented office or whatever. 

“I’ve got a handful of people already kind looking at it, but I have nothing solid yet. I’m essentially looking for that nice tenant who is willing to come in with a good business practice and stuff like that.”

O’Brien says he isn’t looking for “heavy hitters” like the Anytime Fitness or Target franchises that will soon be occupying open storefronts on Broadway.

“I’m more looking for those local businesses that are not on the chain side,” he said. “We’re just looking for businesses that have been successful and are looking to get a little more traffic flow. Even though (the property is) not on Broadway, a lot of traffic flows through there. I think it will attract people just simply because of the heavy volume of people coming from the County Market or from Broadway.

“It’s a gamble like everything, but at the end of the day, I see opportunity there. I’m hoping in the next three to six months to have at least half of (the property) filled.”