Uses from Barbershop to Country Store Interested in Wenham Retail Space

Businesses ranging from a bakery to a classic country store have eyed an available retail space along Main Street in Wenham.

The space at 158 Main St. is new retail space in Wenham’s downtown. It was created when Maria Lekkakos, who owns neighboring , purchased the former two-family home and renovated the space.

Kate Richard, a real estate agent with J. Barrett in Manchester-by-the-Sea, has the listing.

The building, built in 1850, had become dilapidated and a backyard pool had turned into a “tadpole farm,” Richard said, before Lekakkos bought it and renovated it.

Richard said that interest in the 1,200 square foot first floor retail space has “run the gamut.”

Recently, interest has come from a decorator who was looking to create a design workshop and retail space and a Salem resident and longtime retailer who wants to create a classic country store.

There’s been no commitment from any of those interested businesses and no lease has been signed.

“Today I showed it for a barbershop,” Richard said.

The rent, $1,900 per month, is admittedly a bit high, she said.

But it is newly renovated, high quality space – Richard calls it AAA space – with high visibility along Route 1A, she said. It also sits alongside a “higher-end salon” and nearby similar uses.

“You want something that fits with that model,” Richard said, adding that the businesses that have expressed interest in the space have higher-end clientele.

Most of the interest has come from local residents and businesspeople, she said.

“They know Main Street and want to put their business there,” she said. “I think the community is hungry for new, fresh retail in town.”

While Richard detailed some of the latest interest, there have been some “near-misses” with some perspective tenants.

“The interest is out there,” she said.

The parking area has been combined with M. Lekkakos next door, with one-way entrance driveway between Lekkakos and and an exit driveway between Lekkakos and the new space. There’s parking for about 14 cars, she said.

There’s also office space for rent on the second floor for $1,400 per month. Two graphic design firms looked at it but there’s no final agreement for a new tenant for that space.

What do you think should go in the retail space at 158 Main St. in Wenham? Tell us in the comments.