Move could include three buildings




The building that houses the Board House surf shop, left, and a building that once was home of The Connoisseur shop stand on Alister Street on Saturday, July 30. Port Aransas businessman Edwin Myers says he wants to move both buildings to a lot a few blocks away, at the corner of Beach and Alister streets, where he also intends to move Shorty’s Place, Myers’ bar. The surf shop business will move into a new building that’s under construction behind the Board House. The Connoisseur business already has moved to another building on Cut-off Road. Staff photo by Dan Parker

The building that houses the Board House surf shop, left, and a building that once was home of The Connoisseur shop stand on Alister Street on Saturday, July 30. Port Aransas businessman Edwin Myers says he wants to move both buildings to a lot a few blocks away, at the corner of Beach and Alister streets, where he also intends to move Shorty’s Place, Myers’ bar. The surf shop business will move into a new building that’s under construction behind the Board House. The Connoisseur business already has moved to another building on Cut-off Road. Staff photo by Dan Parker

In April, Shorty’s Place owner Edwin Myers announced that he was planning to move the well-known bar building from its longtime Tarpon Street location to a lot several blocks away.

And now the other shoe is dropping.

In an interview with the South Jetty last week, Myers said he said he is planning to move a second building onto that same lot, at the northeast corner of Beach and Alister streets. And he wants to move a third building there, too and is in talks with the ownership to likely do just that.

One of the buildings formerly housed The Connoisseur shop but now is sitting, vacant, in the 500 block of North Alister Street. The Connoisseur now operates in a building on Cut-off Road.

Interviewed on Thursday, July 28, Myers said he was hoping to move The Connoisseur building within the next week.

The other building that Myers wants to move currently houses The Board House, a surf shop. It is next-door to the old The Connoisseur building.

He wants to move the Board House building as soon as possible after the owners move their stock and start doing business in a new building that’s under construction on the same lot as where the surf shop is now.

Myers said he expects Shorty’s to conduct its last day of business at its current location on Nov. 1. He hopes to move the structure in late November or early December.

When it gets to its new location, Shorty’s will continue to be operated as the same kind of simple, rough-around-the-edges bar it has been since it first opened in the 1940s, Myers said.

Asked what he plans to do with the other two buildings, he said: “I have some ideas. I have not finalized those. Hopefully, it will be something that will compliment Shorty’s.”

The lot where the three structures are going is owned by A.J. Zimmerhanzel, who lives in the Austin area and also has a home in Port Aransas.

Myers said he has worked out a lease agreement with Zimmerhanzel.

Sandy Clark of Port Aransas owns the property where the Board House building and the old Connoisseur structure are now.

Hopes are that the new building that’s under construction on the same property will be finished by October, according to Clark’s son, Bruce Clark, who has been acting as Sandy’s spokesman on the topic.

The new building will have three commercial spaces inside. While one will be leased to the Board House, another will be leased to Coach’s Island Grill for operation as a restaurant.

The third space hasn’t been leased yet, “but we are in talks with some parties,” Bruce said.

The old Connoisseur and Board House buildings were constructed in the late 1970s, and the Board House structure was expanded just a few years ago, he said.

Contact Dan Parker at dan@portasouthjetty.com

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