Legendary California oyster enclave on sale for $13M after 101-year run
Well, shucks.
A stunning Northern California coastal property has hit the market for roughly $13 million — but it’s not your typical high-dollar waterfront spread.
The prime, 16-acre parcel at the heart of the Marin County oyster farming village of Marshall includes a string of commercial and residential buildings by the side of Highway 1 — and one legendary seafood restaurant, The Marshall Store.
The Tomales Bay-facing plot roughly 60 miles north of San Francisco was purchased just over a century ago in 1925, by Croatian immigrants Nickola and Nickolina Vilicich — and has never been up for sale since.
Other tenants on the property include Point Reyes Oyster Co., Marshall Boat Works and the local U.S. Post Office.
Opened in 2006, The Marshall Store is a small bivalve spot with a big reputation. The restaurant was featured in The New York Times’ top 50 restaurants in America in 2021.
Owner Shannon Gregory said the secret to her success is keeping things casual.
“It’s expensive to go and eat oysters — why do you want to go sit at some rustic restaurant on the bay and have dine-in service and have it be more expensive? I think people like the fact that it’s casual,” Gregory told SFGATE in 2021.
“Anybody can come here. We’re not just for the blue collar workers, we’re not just for the wealthier people. We’re for everybody.”
A brochure for the listing, obtained by SFGATE, reveals the combined properties yield $400,000 in operating income — set against $250,000 in expenses.
Three of the property’s parcels are zoned for commercial use, and the listing says the land comes with “multiple income-producing and development possibilities.”
The scenic shoreline is also home to the Tomales Bay Oyster Company. Co-owned by Gregory’s sister Heidi, the company is the longest-running oyster farm in California, first opening in 1917.
Once a local secret, the oyster farming town has seen an increase in development in recent years.
Just up Highway 1, Nick’s Cove, an popular restaurant and waterfront inn, underwent a major refresh in 2022, transforming the picturesque resort into a four-star hotel where minted tech workers pay hundreds of dollars a night to stay.
Also in Marshall is the original location of Bay Area legend Hog Island Oyster Company — an oyster farm that started on Tomales Bay in the early 1980s.
Hog Island has since become known for their trendy chain of upscale oyster bars, with high-traffic locations in San Francisco, Napa and other area cities.
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