Gin Mill fetches $600K at auction; Reeders don't sell
Canton's Gin Mill was auctioned off today at noon and received a high bid of $600,000. But the Reeders, the family that has owned the bar for a decade, decided not to sell.
Auctioneer Jonathan Melnick said the high bid came from a well-known family that owns a chain of local restaurants, but he declined to name them.
Owner Lester Reeder could not be reached for comment.
As Midnight Sun reported, the Reeders put the Gin Mill up for auction in September. Lester said business was solid, but the family wanted to step away from the nightlife business.
Lester said the bar has been for sale since they bought it back two and a half years ago, and the auction was a way to fast-track the search for a new owner. The family first bought the bar in 1996, according to property records.
The two-story establishment, housed in a building from 1850, has two bars, two dining rooms and a lounge area in the rear. Property records peg its base value at a little over $600,000.
Today's auction lasted a half hour, and was attended by 12 to 15 people, Melnick said. The high bid was $600,000 even, though the new owners would have paid $80,000 more for the business, real estate, and the liquor licenses.
Melnick said the Reeders wanted a higher offer, though, "not a tremendous amount more."
He added the high bidder might decide to increase the bid later, but that negotiation would happen privately with the family.
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
"But the Reeders, the family that's owned the bar for a decade, decided not to sell."
"that's" refers to an object, not a person.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 20, 2010 4:25 PM
"Lester said business was solid, the family wanted to step away from the nightlife business. "
Where did you learn to write?
Posted by: Anonymous | October 20, 2010 4:31 PM
No doubt both those are on purpose. No one who gets paid to write can be this bad and not being doing it on purpose.
Posted by: anys | October 20, 2010 4:38 PM
If you lay down a beat and rap his words they soundz betta.
Posted by: MC Mencken | October 20, 2010 5:05 PM
Anon,
"That's" can also be a contraction for "that has."
Posted by: balrog | October 20, 2010 5:11 PM
$600k +$80k is a great price.
$680 Gin Mill
$472 Taps
$112k more, I am surprised they didn't take that. They must not need the money.
Posted by: anon;) | October 20, 2010 5:13 PM
btw who all placed bids during the auction? Any Canton or Baltimore bar owners looking to open another place?
Posted by: anon;) | October 20, 2010 5:17 PM
@balrog
the issue isn't the contraction, it's the usage
Posted by: Anonymous | October 20, 2010 5:21 PM
They want 125k @ least for the biz. They should have taken the bid. Now that everyone who is interested knows the going price, they re not going to get much more then the bid. How shady is it to be a realtor and try and sell your property? I'm asking...
Posted by: Joe | October 20, 2010 7:17 PM
Everything about this just seems shady.
Posted by: kateebee | October 20, 2010 8:02 PM
Family is typically a collective noun (a noun that describes a group), meaning that Erik is grammatically correct (at least in American English/common usage).
Sorry to be a bother, but I think the grammar nazis on this blog are total d*** who are adding nothing to the conversation, so they better at least be correct.
Posted by: balrog | October 20, 2010 9:41 PM
amen, balrog. if you're gonna be a grammar d*** ( or is it grammar douche?) at least post a handle. very bold to be anonymous
disclamer; their is uncorrect grammer and speling in this post
Posted by: tomc | October 21, 2010 8:32 AM
If you are going to complain then at least put your name to the complaints. And I agree, of all the varieties of "Maza Sucks!", the grammar/usage one is the dullest.
Posted by: Josh | October 21, 2010 9:00 AM
Reading the comments on this blog is like watching the new guy on the bus get spitballs shot at him every day. This guy's giving out nightlife news (for free!). Or: Erik Maza: why don't you not post some of these comments? Here's one reader who's tired of seeing them. Either way, I'm going to stop scrolling down. It's like seeing the new kid get picked on and it's tiring almost from the beginning.
Posted by: Stoop | October 21, 2010 10:09 AM
The new guy at D@L doesn't get picked on. He re-reads before he hits submit apparently.
Posted by: Tif | October 21, 2010 10:26 AM
We read it for free, he gets PAID to write it. I expect more from a "pro".
Posted by: malik Sealy | October 21, 2010 11:21 AM
baltrog is right on both accounts. (1) People can be d***, especailly when they are proofing written word. (2) Group is a collective pronoun. The individuals would warrant the use of "who". The group is not animate. It is a collection; therefore, it does not get warrant "who". It warrants "that".
Posted by: Trouble | October 21, 2010 11:34 AM
Man I miss the Gin Mill...
Posted by: Anonymous | October 21, 2010 1:11 PM
Man I miss the Gin Mill...
Posted by: Anonymous | October 21, 2010 1:11 PM
@Stoop - 100% agree. I wish the comments were edited for relevancy.
Also, the blog has a front page where you can scroll through the posts and pick the ones you want to read. If you don't want to read one, move on to the next one. Jeez, it's not like someone is holding you hostage unless you read every damn post.
The only thing that's happened to this blog is a bunch of whiny brats have taken it upon themselves to harass the writer and litter the comments section with completely unproductive babble. People used to make informative comments, now you're just wasting my time.
Posted by: kmm | October 22, 2010 11:23 AM
Don't let laptop split ya where the good lord split ya on the way out! F*cking adults.
Posted by: The mouse | October 22, 2010 6:57 PM