It is one of York’s more distinctive commercial buildings.
Until recently, it was home to the pricey cake shop Patisserie Valerie. That closed straight after Christmas – in fact there are still posters advertising festive fancies in the window.
Before that, for readers with longer memories, it was a branch of the art chain Athena.
Now though, after being empty for months, it looks set to have a new lease of life.
Plans are afoot to turn it into a sushi bar.
Local company Motto Sushi have just taken over number 5 Feasegate.
According to a licensing application they will turn it into a “sushi restaurant serving up to 100 patrons. Premises will be open daily, serving food, desserts and alcoholic beverages.”
Motto Sushi Ltd is run by Xianqi Lin and Yinghe Ma. They plan to open the restaurant from 11am-11pm daily, and serve alcohol throughout that time.
The building was being marketed as a largely open plan restaurant over the ground and first floors, with a partially fitted kitchen on the second floor.
With more than 2,000 sq ft of retail space, it came with a rates bill of £23,030 and an annual rent of £45K.
The building is one of a pair of Grade II listed shops built in 1884. Their distinctive cast-iron and plate glass shopfronts were manufactured by the Thomlinson Walker Iron Foundry.
The sushi restaurant will be a boost for a street with a challenged recent history.
When footwear firm Cloggs closed in 2018, it left Feasegate with only one shop. Then, in 2020, the Co-op Bank moved out, leaving another empty unit next to the old vacant BHS.
But footwear firm size? moved in and Howden Insurance is looking to open in the old BHS.
There are still quite a few empty units on the street – but once the sushi starts bringing people in, who knows?