Owners of Shalimar Restaurant purchase Main Street building in downtown Ann Arbor
Downtown Ann Arbor’s Shalimar Restaurant closed on a deal last month to purchase part of its Main Street building.
Owners Purnima Baluja and Indertej Reen bought two first-level spaces, the Shalimar Restaurant location at 307 S. Main St. and the neighboring Da Vinci’s Salon space.
The owners of Shalimar Restaurant, located at 307 S. Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor, recently purchased their building.
AnnArbor.com file photo
Jim Chaconas of Colliers International represented Shalimar in the deal. Amvest Properties previously owned this portion of the building, and the company rehabilitated it in 2004.
Baluja declined to disclose the purchase price.
Purchasing the space makes it easier for the owners to expand or sell the restaurant down the road, Baluja said.
“Whenever we do sell the restaurant, this will help us because we will be controlling the lease,” she said. “We have no plans to sell or expand right now, but you never know in the future.”
“Right now, we are just keeping the restaurant as it is,” she continued.
Shalimar, which has been located on Main Street for 17 years, began as a restaurant in Farmington Hills in 1988. Husband and wife duo, Baluja and Reen, sold that location in 2004, 10 years after opening the location on Main Street.
“When one of our daughters was at the University of Michigan, she would always say, ‘Open in Ann Arbor,’” Baluja said. “Everybody wants different kinds of food in Ann Arbor.”
Although Baluja and Reen considered purchasing their Ann Arbor building years ago, Baluja said it just wasn’t available at the right time.
“We wanted to years ago,” she said. “So when it was an option to buy recently, we thought it would be a good idea for us to buy.”
As for Da Vinci’s Salon, Baluja said the lease for the downtown salon doesn’t expire for a couple years, and the owner has the option to renew.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
A2Susie
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 7:11 p.m.
I love the food and atmosphere at Shalimar; it's one of our favorite places downtown. Glad to hear they will have control of the property now.
Robert D. Mosley
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 3:23 p.m.
Thanks for your great updates on business! This looks like a place that I might want to go to when I am in Ann Arbor to take my family. I really enjoy the background information and input from readers.
Goofus
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
Maybe shalimar can finally stop denying that, yes, indeed, they once did have a lunch buffet. I don't know how many times their servers have told me "Shalimar has never had a lunch buffet on Main" when i distinctly remember eating at it in the late 90's.
seldon
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
They absolutely had a lunch buffet on Main. That's crazy talk.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.
Smart move! Congratulations. Love the food and atmosphere!
Lizzy Alfs
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 11:48 a.m.
Thanks for the comments. The restaurant opened on Main Street in 1994. When the building was being rehabilitated, Shalimar moved to East Washington Street for a few years, then back to 307 S. Main St. once the building was completed.
BobbyJohn
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 : 7:04 p.m.
Lizzy I know this predates you, but, for a while both location were open
craigjjs
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 11:42 a.m.
I smell Pulitzer!
seldon
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 11:06 a.m.
They started on Main, in that location. They moved to Washington for a couple years due to (I think) construction on the Main St. site, then moved back to Main. They operated their other storefront for a while on Washington as a separate restaurant, then closed it down. It may be Cafe Habana now.
EightySeven
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 10:30 a.m.
I do believe they got their start on either Liberty or Washington just east of Main St.
seldon
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 11:05 a.m.
No, they moved to Washington for a couple years during construction at the Main St location or something like that. But they started on Main, in that location.
Grumpy
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 10:14 a.m.
On Main for 17 years? That's not right is it?
Tom Smith
Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 10:56 a.m.
It is indeed. I was working on Main when they first moved in there.