Whether you’ve stopped for gas, a bite to eat, to shoot some pool or a good night’s sleep, the Sunrise Inn has long been a reliable respite for drivers and visitors in Cooper Landing. And if you’ve stopped by over the last year or so, you’ve probably seen the “for sale” signs. As of last week, The Sunrise is sold.
Gina Pelaia handled the sale. She’s a Homer-based real estate broker and says her interest in the property was personal as well as professional. When her three kids were growing up, they’d stay at the Sunrise while on fishing and rafting trips – they always booked Room 9 because it has three beds.
“I've just loved that place for many, many years,” she said. “And I'm honored that I got to be involved with the sale of it, because I really do believe it's an iconic property.”
The property packs a lot into its roughly 6.02 acres. Originally built in 1952, the Sunrise encompasses a restaurant, bar, nine-room hotel, cabins, a gas station and a gift shop.
Pelaia says the property is a hot commodity – it's one of the rare Cooper Landing businesses that stays open year-round. It’s in a pristine location near Kenai Lake. And it offers housing in a place where that can be hard to come by. For people on the western Kenai Peninsula, Pelaia says it’s a convenient stopping point en route to Anchorage or Seward.
“A lot of people I know, like elderly people, going to doctors appointments from Homer, Soldotna to Anchorage, like, that's a place that you could stay at really affordably, and, like, halfway in between,” she said.
Pelaia says she cast a wide net when advertising the property. She got interest from as far away as California. But in the end, she says it was more traditional means that ultimately snagged a buyer.
“I did have other people that would just stop there and say ‘Hey, I’m looking at this sign, I’m parked out in front Sunrise, what can you tell me about it?” she said.
That’s how Barbra Wills heard about the property. She and her husband own Buckets Sports Grill in Soldotna.
“It literally ended up on a radar by driving by it – and we saw the ‘For Sale’ sign,” she said.
Wills calls her husband an entrepreneur at heart. She says he saw opportunity in the property. And she’s always loved Cooper Landing for its natural beauty.
“There's just so much there, from a business aspect,” she said. “There are revenue avenues all over.”
Wills says they’re excited to integrate into the community. They’re already planning a comedy show for Valentine’s Day and want to continue events the Sunrise is already known for, like pool tournaments and trivia nights. And they’ll be bringing some of their own flair – Wills says in the form of a jukebox and some menu staples from Buckets.
“The Buckets Burger, the Champ, the wings, the salad with the noodles,” she lists.
Wills says there are some days when the work ahead of them seems daunting. But so far, they’ve had a warm welcome.
“We have felt support from the Cooper Landing community since August when this started,” she said. “People have been coming in and talking to us and excited for us. It's been humbling, and just – we feel good.”
The Sunrise has only officially been sold for about a week. Once things settle down, Wills says they want to host a community event to celebrate the dawn of a new chapter for the property.
