TAUNTON — A former gathering place in Taunton will be sold to the highest bidder later this month.

The Corner Cafe building, along with its equipment and furnishings, will be sold at auction at 10 a.m. Nov. 30, at the property site.

The cafe has been closed for more than a year. Troy Deutz of the Marshall-based Deutz Auctioneers, which is handling the sale, said he’s received some inquiries from prospective bidders.

“I’m confident that it will sell, and fairly certain we’ll have favorable bids,” Deutz said. “There are good assets being sold along with the property. Someone will be getting a good value.”

Included in the sale are two property parcels, the 4,350 square foot building, the freezer, appliances, cookware, fixtures, furniture, and a Ford F-350 vehicle that was used for catering.

Deutz said the sale is an “absolute auction,” which means the property will be sold even if someone only bids one dollar. He anticipates a substantially higher price based on the level of interest in the past few weeks.

“Some potential buyers have told me they’d keep it as a cafe because that’s its tradition,” Deutz said. “There are others who’ve mentioned possibilities to use it for something else.”

For many years the business was known as Rusty’s Corner Cafe. Owner Rusty Rhymer was known regionally for both the cafe area and the supper club room. Among his specialties were prime rib and Sunday brunches.

Rhymer announced in 2018 that he intended to close at the end of the year. In December 2018 he sold the cafe to Brad and Courtney Norcutt, who renamed it Duke’s Corner Cafe.

The cafe closed in 2020 when restaurants throughout the country shut down because of the COVID pandemic. Duke’s never reopened. The Norcutts later filed for bankruptcy.

The business has a history of being one of several economic cornerstones in Taunton, located in the northwest corner of Lyon County with a population of 139.

The community is also the location of a Farmers Cooperative branch elevator, the Tri-County Veterinary Clinic and Taunton State Bank. It was the location of the former Ss. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, which was demolished after the congregation merged with neighboring churches.