A group of investors has purchased a retail and office building adjacent to the Bennett Block in downtown Spokane that houses Atticus Coffee & Gifts.

Howard Partners LLC and Gerry’s Trees & Nursery Inc. acquired the 3-story, 23,380-square-foot building that spans from 218 to 222 N. Howard St. They paid $1.4 million for the building last week, Spokane County Assessor’s Office records show.

Atticus and the Steelhead Bar & Grille will remain tenants in the building, said Kevin Edwards, partner and broker with Hawkins Edwards Inc., a Spokane-based real estate development company.

“Atticus and Steelhead are great for downtown and great for the area,” said Edwards, who is also a principal of the Howard Partners LLC ownership group. “They are both solid businesses and we’re planning on keeping them.”

Howard Partners LLC and Gerry’s Trees & Nursery Inc. are conducting a cost analysis to determine whether it’s viable to convert the building’s upper floors into 14 apartment units, Edwards added.

Colin Conway and Kim Floyd of Kiemle Hagood represented the seller, 220 Investors LLC, in the transaction.

Edwards represented the buyer, according to a Kiemle Hagood transaction news release.Amy Edelen can be reached at (509) 459-5581 or at amye@spokesman.com.