OCEAN CITY — Who didn’t sit across from their summer crush in one of the big booths, dipping french fries in a shared chocolate milkshake at The Chatterbox?
An Ocean City institution for more than 80 years, the iconic two-story pink building at the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue is for sale, and with it come three newly renovated apartments — all fully furnished and equipped for simple turn-key operation.
Located at 500 Ninth St., the iconic Spanish Mission Revival-style building was reportedly designed by Philadelphia architect Vivian Smith, who also is credited with creating City Hall, the Ocean City Music Pier and Flanders Hotel. It was completed in 1929.
The Chatterbox opened across the street in 1937 and is said to have moved to its current location in 1940. The current owners, North Carolina-based entrepreneurs Jim and Regina Anthony, purchased the property in 2018 and undertook extensive renovations to both the restaurant and three rental units on the second floor — which were reportedly fetching as much as $400 per night last summer on Airbnb.
Regina Anthony said both the restaurant and apartments are fully stocked and ready for the next owner.
Renovation work included plumbing and electrical upgrades, a new ceiling, new countertops and floors inside the restaurant — while maintaining its 1950s diner aesthetic — and complete overhauls of the apartments.
“The converted apartments are really amazing,” Anthony said, adding they basically rented themselves. “It was a real transformation.”
She said most tenants stay three or more nights and they have had customers book from all over the country.
The couple also renovated the exterior, expanding outdoor dining and access to the Central Creamery on the Central Avenue side.
Anthony said she raised her children in Cherry Hill, so they purchased the property as a way to keep a foot in the area.
She said she put her “heart and soul” into the renovations.
“It was important to me because of relocating, moving out of South Jersey, we wanted to have something as a family investment that was part of our upbringing, part of our history,” Anthony said.
However, the market now has drawn their energies in another direction.
The restaurant offers 175 seats, including the outside patio.
There is booth, table and counter seating in the main dining room and an overflow dining room, with an iconic mural on one wall.
The kitchen facilities are extensive and also have upgrades, according to Anthony.
Each of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments has its own entrance — two off Ninth Street and one off Central Avenue — and are similar in many ways but also unique.
The first, with its street door closest to the ocean, is atop a tall set of stairs — higher than usual to accommodate the cathedral ceiling of the restaurant.
It has wood-impression tile flooring throughout, with an open-design eat-in kitchen and living room featuring French-style multipaned doors opening onto a small balcony, a la Bourbon Street in the Big Easy. The natural light combined with the 9-foot ceiling increases the feeling of spaciousness.
A long quartz counter has room for three stools beneath two cage-like pendant lights. The sparkling white cabinets have a white subway tile backsplash, keeping everything crisp and clean. Stainless-steel Samsung appliances include a dishwasher and two-door refrigerator with two freezer drawers to the left of the sink and a five-burner gas range/oven with a microwave above to the right.
A large area rug delineates the living room, where a sofa and love seat are centered around a wall-mounted television just inside the exterior doors.
Down the hall, a bathroom with a porcelain tub and custom-tiled shower in a distressed blue is across from the first bedroom, which has bunkbeds, a dresser and wall-mounted TV.
The master suite, which has its own privacy door, includes a full bathroom and large bedroom with a king-size bed, large triple window, dresser and chest of drawers.
The second unit, with its street entrance next door, has a similar setup but features a larger living room with cushioned seats flanking the multipaned front window instead of a balcony.
The third unit is the largest and fanciest of the apartments. It also is located on the corner, so has the best natural light from two sides. Its street entrance is just south of the Central Creamery and opens onto an interior staircase where the quality craftsmanship is immediately evident in the fine shadow-box wainscoting.
The living room, which has a 10-foot-high coffered ceiling, features tall windows on two sides with half-wagon wheel transoms, bathing it in natural light.
A long sectional sofa runs along the Ninth Street wall, while a long quartz-topped center island provides room for dining.
Each unit also has laundry facilities.
The property is listed for $2.895 million with Burt Wilkins of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty. Call (609) 513-2500
or (609) 399-2500 or email burt@goldcoastsir.com for more information or to set up an appointment to see this wonderful property.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK, Sentinel staff
