AUGUSTA — The company that aimed to create a national tourist destination in wine country here is selling more businesses, once seen as key to the firm’s dream.
The Florida-based Hoffmann Family of Cos. has a little more than a dozen properties in and near Augusta now listed for sale, including the town’s only gas station and an art gallery.
The company had previously listed a few businesses for sale late last year.
The properties for sale do not include the wineries the Hoffmann acquired around 2021.
Don Simon, Hoffmann’s chief executive in Missouri, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The Hoffmann Family of Cos., until recently led by Washington natives David and Jerri Hoffmann, announced in 2021 that it would spend up to $150 million purchasing existing wineries, planting new vineyards, constructing a hotel and convention center, building a golf course and opening a five-star restaurant, among other things, all aimed at making Augusta a rival to California’s famed Napa Valley.
Lynn Hofer, manager of the The Wandering Owl, a store run by the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce, adjusts a sign on Monday in Augusta. The Hoffmann Family of Companies is selling a variety of properties in Augusta, excluding wineries the company acquired around 2021.
The company had purchased or renovated more than 50 buildings in Augusta and opened several new businesses, including a new riverboat excursion on the Missouri River.
But last year, the company began selling off properties and listing businesses for sale. David Hoffmann, the former CEO of the company, said at the time that his sons, who had taken over running the business, were selling off just a small portion of their holdings to refocus on winemaking.
The properties now listed publicly for sale include:
- The White House Cafe on Walnut Street for $499,900
- The Hoffmann Gas & Gator and The Livery on Jackson Street for $599,900
- The Augusta Coffee Shop & Emporium on Walnut Street for $525,000 (or $675,000 for fixtures and equipment)
- Gallery August on Walnut Street for $650,000 (inventory negotiable, according to the )
The Hoffmanns have also listed Defiance Roadhouse on Highway 94, Dutzow Deli in Marthasville and a former nursery for sale.
Jennifer Ham fills her car with gas at a self-serve gas station owned by the Hoffmann Family of Companies on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Augusta. The Hoffmann Family of Companies is selling a variety of buildings in Augusta, including the gas station. Ham is the grandmother of Julian Keiser, 4, and Jameson Keiser, 6, who were killed in a fire at their home in Defiance in January. Ham expressed gratitude for the Hoffman family, saying they provided housing to her family following the fire.
Officials confirmed last year that the company was looking for buyers for 10 acres of land near the Washington Regional Airport. Its historic Emmaus Homes campus in Marthasville, northwest of Augusta, also was marketed for sale in 2023. The company had envisioned it as a boutique hotel and employee lodging.
In Augusta, a wine country town about 10 miles past Defiance, residents and business owners were of mixed emotions on Monday. Some said the Hoffmanns’ investments — the company’s name is engraved on plaques, storefronts and metalwork — have brought improvements to the town, and filled buildings that were previously vacant. At least now, perhaps, it will be easier for new entrepreneurs to come in and gain a foothold, they said.
One Hoffmann-owned building on Walnut Street, the main town thoroughfare, was previously vacant for years, with sheets hanging in the windows, said Lynn Hofer, who manages the Wandering Owl, a gift shop run by the local chamber.
“I’m thankful for what they’ve done here,†Hofer said. “Augusta’s never looked so good.â€
Other residents were more conflicted. Some expressed confusion: Little was known about why the Hoffmanns were continuing to put properties up for sale, or what their plans were for the future.
Still, several locals noted, Augusta is resilient. It survived Prohibition, and the loss of Missouri River access, when the river shifted course in the 1870s. It has maintained a population of around 250 to 350 residents since the Civil War, said JoAnn Milster, president of the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce.
“I think we’ll come back, and I think we’ll come back stronger,†Milster said.
John Lamping, a former state senator, passed by the vacant Hoffmann Hostel on the way back from a walk on the Katy Trail with his German shepherd, Elsa.
“On one level it’s too bad,†he said, hearing the news. But, he added, “all of those properties are much nicer today than they’ve ever been. I think it will be an opportunity for individual entrepreneurs to take a look at one property at a time, if they’re so inclined.
“That’s not what we thought would happen, but that’s not the worst thing in the world,†he continued. “If you look at Augusta in January of 2024 and January of 2020, it’s much improved.â€
Ethan Colbert of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Chuck Dressel, the former owner and current manager of Mount Pleasant Estates winery, talks about the changes taking place in Augusta as the Hoffmann Family of Companies begins to pour money into the town for renovations and updates aimed at turning the town into a national winery and vineyard destination.
