“Now, someone else can come in and do what they will with it.”
She said the cafe currently only operated during the daytime but a new owner might want to make use of evening trade as well.
The family have a long history with the site.
They lived opposite Collegiate in the 1980s and regularly visited the garden centre that used to occupy the space.
“We really feel an affinity with the place and with that area,” Mackintosh said.
“Back then, I worked at what was the community college and walked past the garden centre every day on my way to work.”
The cafe was started by Dorothy Symes - the founder of Display Associates next door.
The Symes family still own the building.
Parnells had been incredibly lucky with its staff, Mackintosh said.
They often went beyond what was expected of them.
“We’re really proud of them and the way they work together has been amazing.
“Some people have issues with staff but quite frankly, we just don’t. On the whole, they get on incredibly well and Aroha is great at creating a cohesive culture.”
Bayleys Whanganui is overseeing the sale.
It’s been listed for around four weeks.
Principal agent and sales manager Michael Bourne said Parnells was an institution with an amazing reputation.
“Successful eateries do come up [for sale] because, at the end of the day, something is immensely more saleable if it is successful,” he said.
“It’s already attracted strong inquiry across the spectrum. The location is fantastic but it’s well-established as a cafe.
“Our thoughts would be that it’s going to change hands as a cafe and the opportunity will just continue.”
Mackintosh said the staff understood why they were selling up.
“We would definitely recommend them to anyone who was interested in buying it.
“I think there is plenty of potential within the business and we’ve had a very good relationship with the Symes family. They’ve always been there when we needed them.
“If it remains an eatery of some kind we’d be keen to give support to the new owners. It’s a good place for hospitality and I hope it stays that way.”
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
