Molly's Reach, the iconic restaurant from The Beachcombers, goes up for sale
Located on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, the restaurant has been a popular tourist destination for decades
Molly's Reach, the iconic restaurant from the classic Canadian TV show The Beachcombers, is up for sale.
Located in Gibsons on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, roughly 40 minutes by ferry from West Vancouver, the restaurant has been a top tourist attraction for decades, drawing fans of the show from around the world.
Originally built in 1926, the property was leased by the CBC in 1969, and the building was used to shoot countless scenes of The Beachcombers, which ran from 1972 until 1990. After the show was cancelled, the property sat vacant for several years; then in 1995, it was converted into a working restaurant.
According to realtor Grant Marshall, the building is reportedly the second most photographed in B.C. (the most popular being the provincial legislature), drawing thousands of tourists every summer. It's also frequented by locals who have fond memories of the show.
The 4,600 square-foot restaurant is located on the picturesque Gibsons waterfront next to a large marina, and the asking price is just $379,000 — but before real estate watchers get too excited about the price, they should note it only includes the business, not the property, which is worth upward of $1.5 million and not currently for sale.
The restaurant comes with photographs and props from the show, including Relic's costume, which is hanging in a glass case. On the second floor are the show's former change rooms — now used as offices for the restaurant — and the basement houses more memorabilia. A TV in the restaurant also airs a constant loop of Beachcombers episodes.
Since the listing went up Friday afternoon, Marshall has received dozens of emails and social media messages, both from interested locals and out-of-town buyers.
"It's a piece of Sunshine Coast history," he says. "On Facebook there are all kinds of comments like, 'I went there once with my dad and got my photo taken in front of Molly's Reach.' It brings back a lot of memories for people. And it was the longest running TV show in Canada — 19 years. It ran on television for longer than Seinfeld."
Marshall says the restaurant is currently only open for breakfast and lunch because the bulk of their traffic is tourists looking to take a walk down memory lane.
"My parents grew up here on the Sunshine Coast, and last night I was talking about it with my dad. He says it was just a simpler time," says Marshall, whose office is across from Molly's Reach.
"When John the Constable [played by Jackson Davies] is on the ferry, it's autograph central — probably more so than if you see one of the Canucks."
The Beachcombers followed log salvager Nick Adonidas (Bruno Gerussi) and his crew aboard the Persephone as they tracked down logs that had broken free from log booms. The Persephone sits on display near Molly's Reach, and makes for another popular photo stop.
The restaurant's current specialities are fish and chips, as well as hearty breakfasts, says Marshall, who is busy fielding calls about the sale.
"You could walk in tomorrow and be serving pancakes."