Vikivaki owner puts kiosk premises up for sale after 20 years

The premises housing Vikivaki, a kiosk on the corner of Barónsstígur and Grettisgata in Reykjavík, have been listed for 37.9 million krónur, mbl.is reports. Owner Anna Dóra Ármannsdóttir says she has run the business for 20 years and plans to keep operating another Vikivaki at Laugavegur 5 for now.

Several people have asked about the premises and viewed them. Some are interested in opening a restaurant, but Ármannsdóttir says that would be difficult because the building is a multi-unit residential property.

A request to change the premises from commercial use to housing was rejected last year by Reykjavík’s planning officer. Ármannsdóttir said she was surprised when the matter was reported, adding that the request had not come from her.

She does not know exactly when Vikivaki first opened. She said there are indications that the kiosk on Laugavegur was operating around 1960, while the kiosk business on Barónsstígur has a longer history.

Ármannsdóttir said it would be difficult to leave the business, especially because she enjoys meeting customers in the city centre. She said she intends to keep the Laugavegur kiosk open initially, though that business will also close at some point.