The once fictional and now real restaurant Molly’s Reach is up for sale.
The iconic yellow building in Gibsons Landing is well known for its role on the Beachcombers, acting as a restaurant and gathering place for the characters during the show’s 19-year run. After sitting empty for several years, in 1995 the 647 School Road location opened as a working restaurant.
As of Feb. 15, the business — not the building itself — is by Re/MAX Crest Realty for an asking price of $299,999. The description reads: “Molly's Reach has been a staple in the area for decades and now is your opportunity to take it over.”
The 2,000-plus square-foot restaurant is outfitted with a commercial kitchen and liquor license, with 60 interior seats and 24 patio seats. The monthly lease is listed as $8,500.
Molly’s Reach was previously listed for sale in the fall of 2019. At the time, an asking price of $379,000.
According to BC Assessment, the total assessed value of the property and building is $1,102,000 as of July 1, 2022, up from $843,000 the previous year.
Four Gibsons locals took ownership of the business in December 2020 and reopened Molly’s Reach Restaurant in February 2021, after more than two months of renovating the interior. A planned grand opening was delayed when came into effect. The managing co-owners Tim Bedford and Stephanie Heins also own and operate Drift Café in Gibsons, which Bedford describes as a “staple” in their life.
Bedford told Coast Reporter the owners are moving in different directions in life right now. “It’s a lot of work and none of us are really finding that we were getting the work-life balance we needed,” he said, adding that he and Heins want to spend more time with their three children.
Molly’s Reach will still be serving patrons and “plugging along until a sale happens.” What happens next will be up to the new owners, Bedford said. “Whoever comes in next just needs to have a lot of time and energy to put into it.”
One element that surprised Bedford was that many people did not realize that Molly’s Reach is a private business. “A lot of people felt like they owned a part of it because they had been so invested in watching the show,” he said. “It was kind of a double edged sword.”
Their clientele included an “interesting dichotomy,” Bedford observed. Some people would be mad when they wouldn’t open the doors on days Molly’s Reach was closed, or while staff were cleaning. On the other hand, visitors travelled far and wide to spend some time at the home of the Beachcombers. “That's the positive side of it, when you get to be a part of that and you get to fulfill those dreams.” The other 50 per cent of clientele had never heard of the Beachcombers.
For Bedford, a memorable appearance was when Jann Arden was busking on Marine Drive, then came by for food and gave the staff an impromptu performance.
The restaurant still hosts famous guests on occasion. In 2021, three original cast members of the Beachcombers, along with Constable John Constable (Jackson Davies), visited their old stomping grounds while celebrating the 50th anniversary of filming. Molly’s Reach also hosted the 50th anniversary celebration of the show’s airing in October 2022.
