A bad speculation?

A substantial building at 7 High Street in Ewell Village, the downstairs of which has been half occupied for most of the time that I can remember. The dentist left never achieved lift off. The yellow takeaway has been there for a while, probably doing a good business from the boys (and now girls) of nearby Glynn School. The Polish shop did not last long, and before that there was a PC doctor, one of two in the village, so perhaps one too many. Especially with another in West Ewell, less than a mile away.

The upstairs is presumably let as flats, and the third floor looks to have been added at some point. But without taking a closer look, hard to tell how old the building as a whole it. There are sash windows, which went out in the 1920's, but they might be the result of heritage people jumping up and down more recently than that. Perhaps the new sash windows were put in and the third floor was added as part of some major refurbishment of an older building in the 1970's?

One supposes that the speculation as a whole has not been that successful. Nine windows, so at least four flats. Let's say five flats at £1,000 a month each, which makes £60,000 or 2% a year gross on a capital outlay of say £3,000,000. So maybe not so bad. Letting downstairs would be the icing on the cake.

Better suggestions for downstairs? Convert into more flats? The village is already quite well provided with places for eating and drinking - although I think there might be room for a decent wine bar. I would even use it myself, despite the half hour walk. Not like the place further up the High Street which called itself a wine bar, but seemed to cater mainly to the lager trade before going down.