EVERETT – Lobsang Dargey wandered from the basement to the top floor of the Everett Public Market building on a recent afternoon, envisioning a new future for the 96-year-old structure.
The Bellevue businessman, who emigrated from Tibet less than nine years ago, and a few relatives recently purchased the property at the southwest corner of California Street and Grand Avenue for $2 million.
The building has housed a collection of small merchants in recent years, but has previously hosted an auto parts store, union hall and even hosted manufacturing activity for the Boeing Co. during World War II.
Dargey said he doesn’t plan to change some things after taking over the building from Jeff and Valerie Gray. The Sisters restaurant on the building’s ground floor is a popular downtown Everett lunch spots. Next door, the Sno-Isle Natural Foods Co-op is another longtime tenant and the only business of its kind in the area.
“If you look around here, this is the one spot you have a grocery store,” Dargey said.
On the street-level floor next to the co-op, however, he’s already shuffling the businesses inside. A new hair salon is scheduled to open in a space recently abandoned by a similar enterprise.
And Art Boutique, which has occupied a small space in the building since 1998, is close to opening a much larger gallery. Lyussy Hyder, who owns the art business, said she’s understandably happy with the building’s new ownership.
“We kind of were uncertain when we heard the news at first, but it’s a huge positive change,” she said.
An old freight elevator in the 50,000-square-foot building could be replaced soon with a working passenger elevator, Dargey said. On portions of the top floor, home for the past 25 years to the Grand Central Antique Mall, he envisions creating first-class office space with waterfront views one day. Even longer term, he has plans for development on the property’s west edge.
Dargey said he’s optimistic about downtown Everett, especially if the area attracts more sit-down restaurants and higher-profile businesses.
“I think it will change,” he said.
A one-time monk in Tibet, 32-year-old Dargey escaped Chinese-controlled Tibet and came to the U.S. with little.
“I had $400 bucks; that was it,” he said.
He settled here, worked in the telecommunications industry and eventually married. His wife is the sister of tennis star Andre Agassi.
The purchase of the Everett Public Market building is his first foray into commercial real estate. But he plans to focus on that business exclusively.
“Downtown” Dennis Wagner, who’s handling leases in the building for Dargey, said the property is the second on the block to switch owners in recent months. The Nautica apartments next door changed hands and are being converted into condominiums.
“I think it’s a great choice. There’s a lot of activity around there,” he said.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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