New Lynn property houses double act

New Lynn's Corner Cafe and Old Woodshop, at 2 Hutchinson Ave. Photo / Supplied

The land and buildings housing an innovative retail business which combines a neighbourhood cafe with a designer furniture store is for sale at New Lynn.

The two-storey character building at the corner of Margan and Hutchinson Avenues, houses a popular food and beverage business, called The Corner Cafe, plus a boutique home-furniture shop, called The Old Woodshop.

The latter designs and sells New Zealand-made native timber furniture — rimu, oak, beech and pine, crafted into a range of bookcases, display cabinets, entertainment units, coffee and dining, hall and lamp tables, headboards and beds, tallboys, lowboys, and dressing tables.

The cafe is a typical suburban neighbourhood cafe, where most turnover is generated over breakfast/lunch trading periods; and featured in an episode of the New Zealand TV drama series The Almighty Johnsons.

The building is leased as a single tenancy which encompasses both The Old Wood Shop and The Corner Cafe as a singular occupant on a new six-year lease, with two further three-year rights of renewal generating net annual revenue of $78,742.

There is also a lease with The Textile Recycling Centre Ltd for the right to place a clothing bin on the site. This provides an additional amount of about $2608, taking the total earnings to about $81,350.

The property comprises a 263sq m building siting on a 560sq m flat rectangular-shaped freehold corner site at 2 Hutchinson Ave, and is being marketed for sale by auction at 11am on April 11 by Bayleys Auckland.

Salespeople Mike Adams, Phil Haydock and Paul Smits say the core of the character property was built in the 1930s, with the barn-like two-storey furniture warehouse portion added in the 1990s. "The two businesses are symbiotic and feed into each other's revenue streams," says Adams.

Most of the turnover in the cafe is generated over breakfast/lunch trading periods. Photo / Supplied

"It's quite common to see customers at the cafe popping into the furniture showroom out of curiosity after they have enjoyed an eggs benedict and a cappuccino, and similarly, furniture shoppers use the cafe for refreshments after their retail-based visit. It's all about convenience.

"The boutique nature of The Old Woodshop's product range perfectly suits the intimate and warm rustic environment within the character retail space from where it has been trading for 22 years."

Adams says The cafe's loyal suburban clientele is predominantly drawn from within 2km catchment — stretching toward Green Bay, Titirangi and Glen Eden. It was also a favoured destination for mothers after having dropped off children at neighbouring New Lynn Primary School.

An extensive covered outdoor decking area sits to one side of the cafe's floorspace, with high railings facing out onto Hutchinson Avenue ensuring not only security for the premises, but also safety for toddler-aged cafe patrons should they stray from their parents' control.

"The Corner Cafe benefits from that corner site profile, with customers enjoying the constant 'hubhub' which comes from vehicular and foot traffic passing through what is a major intersection directly in front of it."