Help Tom retire!
And no worries, WE AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE & WE ARE NOT CLOSING -- we are still here busy working, ready to service all your printing, graphic, apparel and signage needs!!! And we will be here at the ready until new owners are fully trained in.
We have only listed the shop for sale as Tom would like to retire sooner then later -- and we are hoping to find some new folks to take things over AND WE PLAN TO STICK AROUND TO HELP TRAIN THEM so when we finally do walk away from the shop they will be able to do everything we've been doing for our customers all these years (plus I'm not ready to retire, so maybe the new owners would even like to hire me to work for them for a while, and our employees would like to stick around too, so the new owners could keep the existing staff -- plus Tom would be available as a consultant) -- so please rest assured... WE ARE and WILL BE HERE FOR YOU! ❤ We love it up here and plan to stay in this area, but we need life to slow down soon. My husband is 73 years old and would like to retire, he started the shop 45 years ago and it's time to hand the reins over to someone younger with more energy.
OUR LOCATION:
We are on main street in a historic and busy small town just one block from the famous Portage Lake Lift Bridge in the beautiful Copper Country of Upper Michigan. Houghton is a great community adjacent to Michigan Technological University, which offers much to our community. We also have another university and a college in our area, plus many historical attractions, as well as many fitness/atv trails, Lake Superior's variety of beaches, ski hills, great boating, fishing, plus a vibrant arts culture, tons of great eateries and a thriving business community.
ABOUT THE SHOP:
Established in 1976 as a full-service quick-printer and commercial print shop, The Print Shop services clients primarily in the Western Upper Michigan area.
The shop offers offset and digital printing, graphic design, Giclée artist prints, sign work and apparel, as well as "lobby services" for folks that require faxing, scan to email etc.
The shop's sales and profits increased considerably in 2018 and in 2019 – and just prior to covid, we were looking at the need to increase our staff to accommodate the steady increase in work. Industry analysts are seeing indicators where that type of trend will continue even though we all had rough patches during the pandemic.
Business is good, this is very much a going-concern.
We remained "open" for business despite coronavirus. Initially we had the "walk-in" clients stay outdoors while we serviced them, and eventually we built an indoor vestibule inside our large lobby to keep everyone safe (and warm in the winter too). Pics of the construction of the vestibule can be seen on my Facebook page.
Most of our work comes from companies that call, email and fax in orders, and with many repeat orders that kept our staff busy even during the height of the pandemic when "walk-in" customers were sparse.
We have financials and can provide details for your review (with a signed disclosure agreement via our realtor).
The only reason we are selling is for age and health related reasons – this business can continue for many, many more years under the right leadership. In the past we had 9 full-time and 1 part-time on staff (this included the owners), there is no reason the business could not grow to have a larger staff again, but it requires owners with drive and ambition for the future (and not an eye on retirement).
Currently the business is housed in our own building. We would be eager to rent to the new owners of The Print Shop. This current facility would easily handle a large volume of employees, with room to expand services and added equipment too.
If the new owners of The Print Shop would want, they could also purchase the building. Details concerning the building can be found at the bottom of this page.
As it is our aspiration for a new owner to succeed, we would hope to stick around for a while to help train our replacements, especially to make sure there are no hiccups in servicing our customers (especially as many of them have become our friends over the years). Overlap/training time to be determined once we are able to evaluate the new owner's existing set of skills and aptitudes (we would estimate a minimum of 3 months even for someone that is experienced in our field).
We would also remain available for consultation services. I could be hired as an employee by the new owners too (graphic artist, IT, customer service, engineering jobs, quoting, etc.), we also have skilled employees that would like to stay on with the shop as well -- this could be a very easy business for someone to transition into.
FOR MORE INFO:
There is a quickly made Virtual Tour of the shop here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUX4A5-7MZk&t=8s
Please contact our realtor or email me (B.J.) at artist@theprintshophoughton.com if you are interested in checking out this great opportunity.
MLS # 1119626 for the Business ONLY (not including the building) -- $245,000
Karen Lahti, Assoc. Broker
Kiinteistonvalittaja
REMAX Douglass Real Estate
320 Shelden Ave.
Houghton, MI 49931
906 370 4045 cell
906 482 5130 fax
Klahti@remax.net
kl@keweenawrealestate.com
ABOUT THE BUILDING:
In 2005 the Litsenberger’s purchased this 19,950 sq ft building. They had all new electrical service brought in as well as all new fresh water plumbing (except for the 2 apartments which were inspected and found to be ok as-is, they were last updated in the 1990's). The heating system was brought up to code with all new duct work, and since then 2 of the 5 furnaces have been replaced with Energy Star ones (in 2009 and in 2017). A shared hallway was built allowing patrons to enter the building from the parking deck. Other major renovations were also done to improve the quality of the building and preserve it's historical features.
The current income rentals consists of:
• Otter River Outfitters on Shelden level, approx. 1,260 sq ft, $1,150.00 per month, lease lasts until August 2024. This space has a high ceiling and hardwood flooring, and has natural gas heat;
• 2 residential apartments on the top floor, approx. 1,200 sq ft each. Suite 1 goes for $700.00 per month and Suite 2 is at $800.00 per month, with the option for multiple students to rent at $100.00 extra per additional person (up to 6 non-family members allowed between the two apartments). These apartments have electric baseboard heat, and are zoned for both residential and commercial renters, both are currently rented out;
• Fresh Coast Yoga on the top floor, approx. 900 sq ft, they renovated the space at their own expense in exchange for the first 3 years rent-free, this lease arrangement lasts through December 2021, at which time a new lease will be signed at the pre-agreed amount of $600.00 per month. This space has a high ceiling and hardwood flooring, and has natural gas heat. This space had 5 new windows installed across the front in 2005;
• The Print Shop, 224 Shelden (the lobby, offices and art dept., total of approx. 3,325 sq ft office space), and 225 E Lakeshore Drive (pressroom, dark room, sign dept. and loading dock, total of approx. 2,808 manufacturing space), approx. 5,373 sq ft. combined rented to ourselves at a "family" rate of $1,700.00 per month. A casual lease is obviously in place as we are our own landlords, if someone new were to purchase the shop and would want to continue to rent this space we would negotiate a rental price and write up a proper lease with them, same as what our other renters have with us.
The Print Shop has a 52'x28' pressroom with superior overhead lighting, 220 and 110 volt, and utility sink. Other rooms on this lower level include their darkroom, sign department, shipping/receiving as well as undeveloped spaces. Concrete flooring is throughout most of this level and is capable of handling heavy equipment.
There is room on the Lakeshore Drive level, in the currently undeveloped spaces, for The Print Shop to expand or create new services, or the existing departments on that level could be rearrange to condense their footprint in order to create additional rental income space(s). This space has a bathroom and is plumbed for a kitchen sink, this area is approx. 1,588 square feet.
225 East Lakeshore Drive originally housed a grocery store and a butcher shop, it has 2 entry doors, the loading dock and has 6 windows, 5 facing the Portage Canal.
All renters pay their own utilities and control their own heat.
On the top level, there is also a Laundry Room with storage, a large storage room, an unfinished bathroom and a space plumbed up for a kitchenette. This combined area could be converted into an additional rental of approx. 1,028 sq feet with 4 large windows overlooking the Portage Canal.
The upper level is accessible from Shelden, and Fresh Coast Yoga also has access via the hallway connecting them to the parking deck. There is also a fire escape off the Lakeshore Drive side of the building.
Both The Print Shop and Otter River Outfitters have ADA accessible Shelden entrances and there is a shared ADA compliant public rest room on this level. Both of these storefront locations also have their own private bathrooms and The Print Shop also has a kitchenette.
Renter's rights will apply upon transfer of the building as existing leases will be warranted.
Photos of the building can be viewed at: litsenberger.weebly.com/big-building.html where you can also learn of it's interesting history.
If the new owners of The Print Shop would like to purchase the building as well, the combined price for both would be $688,00.00
Please note: the building is NOT for sale on it's own. We are needing to sell The Print Shop so Tom can retire, we have zero need to sell the building, but are willing to do so if the new owners of The Print Shop would want it. Please do NOT ask for a tour/viewing with your relator if you are only interested in the building, doing so is a waste of everyone's time ~ thank you for understanding that.
Any purchase of the shop and/or building will need to allow for a gracious period of time for the Litsenberger's to remove their personal items. Please be aware, the building will not be sold without some misc. items left in it (when we purchased it there was a large variety of items left behind by St. Vincent DePaul, as well as previous occupants -- some of this still remains, tho we have managed to sell and dispose of a massive amount of it -- we will not be responsible to clear it all out).
We have only listed the shop for sale as Tom would like to retire sooner then later -- and we are hoping to find some new folks to take things over AND WE PLAN TO STICK AROUND TO HELP TRAIN THEM so when we finally do walk away from the shop they will be able to do everything we've been doing for our customers all these years (plus I'm not ready to retire, so maybe the new owners would even like to hire me to work for them for a while, and our employees would like to stick around too, so the new owners could keep the existing staff -- plus Tom would be available as a consultant) -- so please rest assured... WE ARE and WILL BE HERE FOR YOU! ❤ We love it up here and plan to stay in this area, but we need life to slow down soon. My husband is 73 years old and would like to retire, he started the shop 45 years ago and it's time to hand the reins over to someone younger with more energy.
OUR LOCATION:
We are on main street in a historic and busy small town just one block from the famous Portage Lake Lift Bridge in the beautiful Copper Country of Upper Michigan. Houghton is a great community adjacent to Michigan Technological University, which offers much to our community. We also have another university and a college in our area, plus many historical attractions, as well as many fitness/atv trails, Lake Superior's variety of beaches, ski hills, great boating, fishing, plus a vibrant arts culture, tons of great eateries and a thriving business community.
ABOUT THE SHOP:
Established in 1976 as a full-service quick-printer and commercial print shop, The Print Shop services clients primarily in the Western Upper Michigan area.
The shop offers offset and digital printing, graphic design, Giclée artist prints, sign work and apparel, as well as "lobby services" for folks that require faxing, scan to email etc.
The shop's sales and profits increased considerably in 2018 and in 2019 – and just prior to covid, we were looking at the need to increase our staff to accommodate the steady increase in work. Industry analysts are seeing indicators where that type of trend will continue even though we all had rough patches during the pandemic.
Business is good, this is very much a going-concern.
We remained "open" for business despite coronavirus. Initially we had the "walk-in" clients stay outdoors while we serviced them, and eventually we built an indoor vestibule inside our large lobby to keep everyone safe (and warm in the winter too). Pics of the construction of the vestibule can be seen on my Facebook page.
Most of our work comes from companies that call, email and fax in orders, and with many repeat orders that kept our staff busy even during the height of the pandemic when "walk-in" customers were sparse.
We have financials and can provide details for your review (with a signed disclosure agreement via our realtor).
The only reason we are selling is for age and health related reasons – this business can continue for many, many more years under the right leadership. In the past we had 9 full-time and 1 part-time on staff (this included the owners), there is no reason the business could not grow to have a larger staff again, but it requires owners with drive and ambition for the future (and not an eye on retirement).
Currently the business is housed in our own building. We would be eager to rent to the new owners of The Print Shop. This current facility would easily handle a large volume of employees, with room to expand services and added equipment too.
If the new owners of The Print Shop would want, they could also purchase the building. Details concerning the building can be found at the bottom of this page.
As it is our aspiration for a new owner to succeed, we would hope to stick around for a while to help train our replacements, especially to make sure there are no hiccups in servicing our customers (especially as many of them have become our friends over the years). Overlap/training time to be determined once we are able to evaluate the new owner's existing set of skills and aptitudes (we would estimate a minimum of 3 months even for someone that is experienced in our field).
We would also remain available for consultation services. I could be hired as an employee by the new owners too (graphic artist, IT, customer service, engineering jobs, quoting, etc.), we also have skilled employees that would like to stay on with the shop as well -- this could be a very easy business for someone to transition into.
FOR MORE INFO:
There is a quickly made Virtual Tour of the shop here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUX4A5-7MZk&t=8s
Please contact our realtor or email me (B.J.) at artist@theprintshophoughton.com if you are interested in checking out this great opportunity.
MLS # 1119626 for the Business ONLY (not including the building) -- $245,000
Karen Lahti, Assoc. Broker
Kiinteistonvalittaja
REMAX Douglass Real Estate
320 Shelden Ave.
Houghton, MI 49931
906 370 4045 cell
906 482 5130 fax
Klahti@remax.net
kl@keweenawrealestate.com
ABOUT THE BUILDING:
In 2005 the Litsenberger’s purchased this 19,950 sq ft building. They had all new electrical service brought in as well as all new fresh water plumbing (except for the 2 apartments which were inspected and found to be ok as-is, they were last updated in the 1990's). The heating system was brought up to code with all new duct work, and since then 2 of the 5 furnaces have been replaced with Energy Star ones (in 2009 and in 2017). A shared hallway was built allowing patrons to enter the building from the parking deck. Other major renovations were also done to improve the quality of the building and preserve it's historical features.
The current income rentals consists of:
• Otter River Outfitters on Shelden level, approx. 1,260 sq ft, $1,150.00 per month, lease lasts until August 2024. This space has a high ceiling and hardwood flooring, and has natural gas heat;
• 2 residential apartments on the top floor, approx. 1,200 sq ft each. Suite 1 goes for $700.00 per month and Suite 2 is at $800.00 per month, with the option for multiple students to rent at $100.00 extra per additional person (up to 6 non-family members allowed between the two apartments). These apartments have electric baseboard heat, and are zoned for both residential and commercial renters, both are currently rented out;
• Fresh Coast Yoga on the top floor, approx. 900 sq ft, they renovated the space at their own expense in exchange for the first 3 years rent-free, this lease arrangement lasts through December 2021, at which time a new lease will be signed at the pre-agreed amount of $600.00 per month. This space has a high ceiling and hardwood flooring, and has natural gas heat. This space had 5 new windows installed across the front in 2005;
• The Print Shop, 224 Shelden (the lobby, offices and art dept., total of approx. 3,325 sq ft office space), and 225 E Lakeshore Drive (pressroom, dark room, sign dept. and loading dock, total of approx. 2,808 manufacturing space), approx. 5,373 sq ft. combined rented to ourselves at a "family" rate of $1,700.00 per month. A casual lease is obviously in place as we are our own landlords, if someone new were to purchase the shop and would want to continue to rent this space we would negotiate a rental price and write up a proper lease with them, same as what our other renters have with us.
The Print Shop has a 52'x28' pressroom with superior overhead lighting, 220 and 110 volt, and utility sink. Other rooms on this lower level include their darkroom, sign department, shipping/receiving as well as undeveloped spaces. Concrete flooring is throughout most of this level and is capable of handling heavy equipment.
There is room on the Lakeshore Drive level, in the currently undeveloped spaces, for The Print Shop to expand or create new services, or the existing departments on that level could be rearrange to condense their footprint in order to create additional rental income space(s). This space has a bathroom and is plumbed for a kitchen sink, this area is approx. 1,588 square feet.
225 East Lakeshore Drive originally housed a grocery store and a butcher shop, it has 2 entry doors, the loading dock and has 6 windows, 5 facing the Portage Canal.
All renters pay their own utilities and control their own heat.
On the top level, there is also a Laundry Room with storage, a large storage room, an unfinished bathroom and a space plumbed up for a kitchenette. This combined area could be converted into an additional rental of approx. 1,028 sq feet with 4 large windows overlooking the Portage Canal.
The upper level is accessible from Shelden, and Fresh Coast Yoga also has access via the hallway connecting them to the parking deck. There is also a fire escape off the Lakeshore Drive side of the building.
Both The Print Shop and Otter River Outfitters have ADA accessible Shelden entrances and there is a shared ADA compliant public rest room on this level. Both of these storefront locations also have their own private bathrooms and The Print Shop also has a kitchenette.
Renter's rights will apply upon transfer of the building as existing leases will be warranted.
Photos of the building can be viewed at: litsenberger.weebly.com/big-building.html where you can also learn of it's interesting history.
If the new owners of The Print Shop would like to purchase the building as well, the combined price for both would be $688,00.00
Please note: the building is NOT for sale on it's own. We are needing to sell The Print Shop so Tom can retire, we have zero need to sell the building, but are willing to do so if the new owners of The Print Shop would want it. Please do NOT ask for a tour/viewing with your relator if you are only interested in the building, doing so is a waste of everyone's time ~ thank you for understanding that.
Any purchase of the shop and/or building will need to allow for a gracious period of time for the Litsenberger's to remove their personal items. Please be aware, the building will not be sold without some misc. items left in it (when we purchased it there was a large variety of items left behind by St. Vincent DePaul, as well as previous occupants -- some of this still remains, tho we have managed to sell and dispose of a massive amount of it -- we will not be responsible to clear it all out).
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