'Sad to be leaving': Businesses reveal plans after club's $25m apartment bid

Saludos, Level One Cellars and Thai Puka will need to relocate as their leases expire in June 2025.

The buildings which they occupy, from 652 to 660 Dean Street, will be demolished to make way for the Commercial Club's five-storey, 80-unit apartment complex.

Loni Hancock, managing director of Saludos Spanish restaurant, expressed mixed emotions about the impending closure.

"We're very sad to be leaving, we've loved being in this location although we knew going in that our lease wouldn't be renewed," she said.

"For now, this means come June 2025 we will close the restaurant and take some time to plan our next venture.

"We're looking forward to a bit of a rest."

While the future of Saludos is uncertain, Ms Hancock is considering starting new ventures related to Spanish cuisine.

"I don't think we will move Saludos again," she said. "We were in another location before and we don't want to just keep moving around town.

"But we might open up something else.

"We do the paella cooking classes, so we're thinking we may continue that somehow and possibly look into doing some catering, but we're not exactly sure at the moment."

Ms Hancock started Saludos with her mother Jan back in 2016 after receiving some sad news.

Her father, Daniel Hancock, died of cancer.

With nothing else to lose, the family decided to drop everything and pursue their dream of starting the first Spanish restaurant in Albury.

"It was really quite a sad start," Ms Hancock said. "My father passed away, and I guess it shocked our family.

"My mum had always wanted to have a Spanish restaurant. She just loved cooking - it was her calling.

"Then when (dad) passed away, we told mum that she should go for it and start her own restaurant.

"I was living in Melbourne at the time, but I moved to help her set up. I stayed. I loved it, and we've been cooking ever since."

After a slow start - people didn't know what "tapas" were - Ms Hancock said she collected many fond memories from her time at the restaurant.

"I'm going to miss all the different cooking and learning new recipes," she said.

"We've loved all the customers, everyone coming in and getting to know us. So many of them have become friends, and they often stop by and just say thank you to us in the kitchen.

"And just all the buzz of it all, Friday night, especially winter, I've always loved here. It's just nice and cozy. I was preparing for a little party every weekend."

Mark Davis, owner of Level One Cellar with his wife Deb, said the news of the impending closure was expected.

"Three years ago, when we first looked at that site, we were told that the Commercial Club did have a plan for the future," he said.

"When we were told a month or two ago that on June 30 next year it will be the end of our shop, we went, okay, it is what it is.

"We will simply find another location in and around Albury for the shop.

"There seems to be plenty of spaces on the market available. I'm pretty confident we will be able to find something."

Mr Davis said the closure won't take a huge toll on the couple's business, which also includes Level One Wine Bar and Din Dins.

"The bottle shop has always been regarded as our storeroom for those two restaurants," he said.

"Whilst the shop's done well, look, we can literally move it anywhere."

Mr Davis said he was optimistic for what the new $25 million apartments could bring to Albury.

"We've seen what the Commercial Club is planning, and our view is that it's going to be great for Albury," he said.

"It'll hopefully bring a lot more people into town from interstate through conferences and things like that.

"We do believe there is going to be a restaurant space underneath the building, and that might even be something we have a look at down the track."

Commercial Club general manager Jeff Duck, while not confirming anything, said they were "investigating our options" for the lower level of the proposed building.

Thai Puka was contacted for comment.