Le Manna is on the way out and Winna鈥檚 is on the way in.
The Myrtle Beach-owned property at 507 9th Ave. will soon welcome Winna鈥檚 Kitchen, which is currently located at 819 Main St., a location that is undertaking necessary repairs, said owner Jess Sagun.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been there for three years, but the building is 91 years old and so we had a major flood and then after the flood we had a major leak and then we were going to do renovations in the offseason, but when they went to do the renovations, the building is going to have to be torn down,鈥 Sagun said. 鈥淚 say all the time, our beautiful 91-year-old building has fooled us again. We love her, but she don鈥檛 love us back.鈥
While the historic building is rebuilt, Winna鈥檚 was in need to find a new location, and the city-owned property downtown became available as Le Manna Bread Company鈥檚 owners have faced personal issues, city leaders said. Sagun spoke to Myrtle Beach City Council at the Tuesday, April 8, meeting where council gave final approval for Winna鈥檚 to operate out of the space in Le Manna鈥檚 stead.
鈥淲hen we decided to invest in downtown Myrtle Beach, one of the things I kept saying to my family when we took the risk is we鈥檙e not moving to downtown Myrtle Beach to make a bunch of money, we鈥檙e moving downtown to make an impact,鈥 Sagun said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our true desire to be a catalyst for downtown to be everything it can be.鈥
Assistant city manager Brian Tucker said the city entertained multiple prospective tenants in the space, but that Winna鈥檚 was the only one to progress to the final steps of the lease negotiation process.
鈥淣one of those [other businesses] produced anything to us in writing,鈥 Tucker said. 鈥淪o I would argue that it has worked through the natural course of vetting prospective tenants and trying to just come to terms.鈥
Mayor Bethune said she鈥檚 excited to keep Winna鈥檚 downtown and that Sagun is 鈥渁 true advocate for our city.鈥
The five-year lease between Myrtle Beach and Winna鈥檚 has the option to be extended another five years. The lease specifies that Winna鈥檚 will pay $2,000 per month for rent, $500 for fixtures, furniture and equipment, and $375 per month for taxes and insurance. The tenant will have the option to purchase the building at an appraised fair market value in January 2027.
Sagun said she plans on this being an expansion for her business rather than a relocation. The goal is to operate the 9th Avenue location as a breakfast and lunch restaurant and the Main Street location will serve dinner and offer a 鈥渕ercantile鈥 retail option.
鈥淲e have every intention of going back into our other space,鈥 she said.
Winna鈥檚 is described as 鈥渆levated comfort food鈥 by Sagun, with menu options ranging from shrimp and grits, the 鈥渕o betta鈥 BLT, hand rolled pasta, French toast, banana pudding and strawberry milk tea.
Sagun said she hopes to be open at the 9th Avenue location in mid-May or June.
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