TUCSON, ARIZONA –   Mr. An’s Restaurants all started in Tucson, Arizona. This business was started by Mr. An, and is still run by him and his family to this day.

Mr. An recently purchased the building they’ve occupied since 2000 at 6091 N Oracle Rd in Tucson for $2 million ($234 PSF) in a seller carry back transaction from Robert Gugino.

The 8,551-square-foot building was sub-leased to Benihana for awhile until Mr. An moved back in 2010.

“We believe in giving back to the community that has given so much to us, and have annual charitable events to help others in need, as well as discounts for the students, military, and first responders that make up a such a large and important part of our customers,” said An. “We are also big fans of all our local sports teams (BEAR DOWN!) and love having them over whenever we can.”

An opened his first restaurant in 1983 after a disappointing trip to one of Tucson’s few Asian eateries. Everything that night was bad – the food, the service, the cleanliness. An thought he could do better. Never mind that he didn’t have any experience running a restaurant, or even working in a restaurant. He bought Little Sicily Restaurant on South Craycroft Road near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and expanded the building to three times its original size. The new restaurant, Great Wall China, thrived. Buoyed by its success, An decided to roll the dice with a second dining spot.

In 1991, he opened Sakura, the restaurant that made him famous. The eastside eatery boasted multiple teppanyaki tables and capitalized on America’s fascination with Japanese cuisine. It also benefited from some high-profile diners.

In town for spring training, the Arizona Diamondbacks made Sakura their post-game hangout. “Shoot, I think I ate there every night for spring training,” Luis Gonzalez says. “We were kind of inseparable. People made fun of us because I said, ‘Yeah, he’s my dad.’”

It became fashionable to eat at Sakura and before long the walls were covered with photos of An posing with various athletes and movie stars. An says his favorite celebrities to dine at Sakura were two-sport phenomenon Bo Jackson, actress Kim Basinger, Suns owner Jerry Colangelo and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Sakura’s success led to a second Sakura at 6091 North Oracle Road in 2000, as well as three Phoenix restaurants, which he has since sold.

The Ans sold The Great Wall China, to open Sakura at 6534 E. Tanque Verde Road in 1991 and then sold it in 2008.  2010 – 2014 – Opens An Del Sol, An Express, and FrozAn in Casino Del Sol. The restaurants were then sold to the casino in 2014.

To learn more, see RED Comp #8900.

TUCSON, Arizona – Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), a leading commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in investment sales, financing, research and advisory services, announced the sale of Sherwin-Williams Shops, a 7,448-square foot retail property located in Tucson, Arizona.

According to Ryan Sarbinoff, regional manager of the firm’s Phoenix office, the asset sold for $3.075 million ($413 PSF).

Mark Ruble and Chris Lind, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s Phoenix office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a limited liability company.  The retail shopping strip is 100 percent leased to a diverse tenant profile including Sherwin-Williams, One Stop Nutrition and Luxe Nails. Each suite has a triple-net lease.

Irvington Interstate Partners West, LLC (Don Bourn, Manager) was the seller.

Built in 2019, this retail shopping strip rests on a 1.07-acre parcel of land in the growing Tucson trade area. The property is located at 4830 South Calle Santa Cruz, across the street from Tucson Spectrum, a major shopping center with retailers including Target, The Home Depot, Harkins Theaters, JCPenney, PetSmart, Michaels, Old Navy, Best Buy, etc. Adjacent to the Interstate-19 freeway, the primary connector for Tucson and Phoenix, the shops are accessible to 205,523 residents and over 211,930 employees within a five-mile radius.

To learn more, see RED Comp #8905.

TUCSON, ARIZONA — Geyer-Yunkherr LLC (Clay Geyer and Eddy Yunkherr, members) franchise owners of Black Rock Coffee Bar, purchased the former Gadabout SalonSpa site at 6393 East Grant Road in Tucson for $800,000 ($158 PSF) from the P.J. McNair-Wingate Revocable  Trust (Pam McNair, Trustee).

The popular Oregon-based boutique coffee chain has been expanding its presence in Arizona and just opened three new locations in Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale.

Known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies, and flavorful energy drinks, Black Rock Coffee Bar now has a total of 18 locations in Arizona – until now, all were based in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. This will be its first location in Tucson.

Black Rock was founded in 2008 in Portland, Oregon, an area of the Pacific Northwest known for its coffee excellence.

The Phoenix-area additions bring to 81 the total number of company coffee bars in seven states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

All three new Black Rock Phoenix locations were launched in March or April. No formal announcement has been made yet for the Tucson locations.

“After the northwest, Arizona is our second-largest market,” said Jeff Hernandez, co-founder and executive chairman of Black Rock Coffee Bar.

“When we look at markets, we look at the community, its culture, the people, their families, and determine if we fit in with that community. It really comes down to the feel of the place — and we were drawn to Arizona from the start. We feel we have established an authentic connection to the community.”

Rick Volk and Jeramy Price of Volk Company handled the transaction.

To learn more, see RED Comp #8901.