Live data from Hacker News

For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

atlasobscura.com

11–20 of 92 posts

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#11
post #4

Asking price seems rather high. I'm sure you could find an abandoned building in Montana and turn it into a bar for far less than $225k.

Hmm. Well perhaps the price could have to do with the liquor license and the fact that that license could be used in another location?

I don't know that is the case here but that thought comes to mind. Could be geographic restrictions (county) but maybe not. County is about 9500 people.

http://www.mtrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?RN=42%2E12%2E209

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#12
post #5
post #4

Asking price seems rather high. I'm sure you could find an abandoned building in Montana and turn it into a bar for far less than $225k.

Your paying for the business + history

Not really. You'd really just be paying for the history.

Spending a quarter million dollars on a four wood (edit: brick) walls and a door in a podunk Montana town that is about a 100 mile drive to the nearest town isn't a business purchase. You likely wouldn't recoup the cost in your lifetime.

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#13
post #4

Asking price seems rather high. I'm sure you could find an abandoned building in Montana and turn it into a bar for far less than $225k.

Hopefully all those 14 patrons are loyal and healthy and plan to continue frequenting the establishment.

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#15
post #5
post #4

Asking price seems rather high. I'm sure you could find an abandoned building in Montana and turn it into a bar for far less than $225k.

Your paying for the business + history

In Montana, you're paying for the liquor license. It's not uncommon to see hole-in-the-wall bars in 2000 person towns go for $1 million. They are quota-ed and similar to the NYC taxi medallion system.

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#16
This place isn't just in the middle of nowhere, it's in Eastern Montana, not even the nice part of Montana (the west).

This place shouldn't exist. A mildly interesting story, but small town Montana is a rough existence even if you live in pretty part.

I would not recommend anyone buying this place unless you don't mind throwing away $200k on it.

Edit: All the down votes are coming from people who have never been to Eastern Montana. I have. Multiple times. I lived in Montana. Eastern Montana has nice, polite people, but it's got almost nothing going for it economically other than oil.

There is a reason why people (especially young people) are leaving Eastern Montana for the past several decades.

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#18
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your paying for the business + history

Not really. You'd really just be paying for the history. Spending a quarter million dollars on a four wood (edit: brick ) walls and a door in a podunk Montana town that is about a 100 mile drive to the nearest town isn't a business purchase. You likely wouldn't recoup the cost in your lifetime.

> Spending a quarter million dollars on a four wood walls and a door in a podunk Montana town that is about a 100 mile drive to the nearest town

From the OP:

> The Jersey Lilly was the town’s first brick building, built in 1914 as the first bank of a very different Ingomar.

> The nearest town, Forsyth, is “only” 44 miles away. “That’s really close in Montana, trust me.”

If you want to write a dismissive comment, go ahead, but at least get the facts straight (which were clearly stated in the first three paragraphs of the OP).

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#19

This place isn't just in the middle of nowhere, it's in Eastern Montana, not even the nice part of Montana (the west). This place shouldn't exist. A mildly interesting story, but small town Montana is a rough existence even if you live in pretty part. I would not recommend anyone buying this place unless you don't mind throwing away $200k on it. Edit: All the down votes are coming from people who have never been to E…

You're not joking, I checked streetview and its one of the few places I've seen in the developed world where the streetview car didn't bother leaving main street and just GTFO.

Edit: hey sorry if I come across as offensive, I'm from a small city and like living in quiet places.

Re: For Sale: The Only Bar in a 14-Person Montana Town

#20
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your paying for the business + history

I gotta assume in this case you're more paying for the history.. can't imagine there's as lot of business with 13 residents and nearest city being 45 minutes away.

Just because the town only has 14 residents doesn't mean there's nobody passing through or otherwise visiting.
Post reply on HN