"Amboy" Amboy by Echo_29

From the San Bernardino County Sun:
April 12, 2005

"The founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain has purchased historic Amboy, once a familiar stop for travelers along Route 66.Albert Okura said he'll focus on preservation and, eventually, restoration. One of the first tasks Okura faces is restoring water to the town. Later, he will renovate restrooms and reopen the gas station and its adjacent convenience mart."It's going to be hot up there soon, and people are going to need something to drink,' Okura said, adding that he plans to sell gasoline for virtually what it costs to bring it in."I don't want people to think I'm trying to gouge them and get angry,' Okura said. Bob Lundy, founder of the nonprofit San Bernardino County Tourism Development Council, also known as Route 66 Tourism, said, "I knew the one person in the world who could do Amboy right was clearly was Albert.'In late March, Lundy called Okura to let him know that Amboy's owner was desperate to unload the property quickly."Amboy is the centerpiece of the East Mojave. That is where the Twentynine Palms cutoff intersects the old Route 66,' Lundy said. "International visitors are the ones most passionate about Route 66. They love to discover Amboy because they have heard so much about it. Okura, paid $425,000 cash for the 690 acres that includes four houses, 20 motel rooms and eight motel cottages.Other buyers would have paid more, but the family selling the town liked Okura and his plans."He really wanted the town for the town. That was part of the decision,' Barnes said, speaking on behalf of her grandmother.Another potential buyer, Barnes said, was "a very famous person in Palm Springs' who wanted to buy the property for substantially more than Okura, but also anticipated carving out part of the town for a walled personal estate."I wanted, and grandmother wanted, what was best for the town,' she said.Okura, a longtime preserver of history, tried to buy Amboy in 2003. Earlier that year, the town then owned by celebrity photographer Timothy White and his business partner, Walt Wilson had been on the auction site eBay with a listed value of $1.9 million.Late in 2003, Okura's longtime friend Danny Castro, who runs Okura's Route 66 museum in San Bernardino, told his friend about Amboy being for sale again."I told him he had to buy it,' Castro said. The nearly unoccupied town is located about halfway between Barstow and Needles.Burris foreclosed on the property early this year. She and her late husband, Buster Burris, owned and operated Amboy for many years. Originally, Okura and Dunfee negotiated with representatives of White and Wilson to acquire the property for $1.2 million. Then Okura said he broke off the talks. Then a few weeks ago, Lundy called, and Okura jumped into action to buy Amboy."He showed that he was interested and earnestly caring,' Barnes said. Eventually, Okura wants to restore Amboy's motel cottages and rooms, plus four houses in the town.He envisions a museum in the lobby of the motel with memorabilia from Amboy, and information about the Mojave Desert. He also wants to reopen the town's diner. Roy's Cafe has been closed for a long time and it will have to be brought up to code, which will be an expensive undertaking, Okura said.When asked how she feels about selling Amboy after all these years, Burris said, "I don't know. How am I supposed to feel?'Okura said that Amboy will remain in his company's portfolio forever."

• Pros:Photo Op
• Cons:Closed up Tight, but hopefully not for long!
• In a nutshell:Just passing through...