Felix Street Pub to re-open this weekend
Feb. 25—A staple of St. Joseph's nightlife will return for the first time since September.
New owner Brian Loe will take the reins for Felix Street Pub, 516 Felix St., from its late co-owners, Jim and Stacie Root. The business will reopen officially at noon on Saturday.
"It's kind of an honor and I feel like I'm benefitting from the love people had for them," Loe said.
A patron of the bar for more than a decade and personal friend to the Roots, Loe felt compelled to continue their legacy and renew the bar's reputation as a no-nonsense place to drink and socialize.
"I think it's truly an anchor for Downtown, as far as social life and nightlife goes," he said. "Jim made it through everything. His policies were never have a cover, never have those silly all-you-can-drinks, always have a drink for every man so they can come have drink even when they don't have a lot of money."
In keeping with the Roots' legacy, those rules will continue under Loe's ownership.
Jim Root opened the Pub in March 1992, in time for St. Patrick's Day, which Loe cited as the reason for the bar's quick opening.
When Root and his half-brother Roger Baker originally purchased the bar, they were buying the fire-damaged, boarded-up husk of Emile's bar, a location that had been vacant for a decade. He told the St. Joseph News-Press that he saw more value in opening Downtown than on the busier Belt Highway.
"There is a lot of traffic and people, a lot of opportunity, or we wouldn't have invested here. We think we are in on the ground floor. We feel if you have a good place people will go to, it won't matter where it is," he said.
The idea was that the bar would be a no-frills affair. People can come in, get a drink and not have to worry about a theme or party of the week.
"We want the place to be nice but comfortable so you would feel all right wearing a tuxedo or overalls," Root said in 1992.
During the past three decades, it maintained that reputation. Where themed bars like the rock-leaning Hammerjack's, the hard rock and metal bar Tremors and dance venue Club Flatline opened and closed in a matter of years, Felix Street Pub maintained its clientele.
A karaoke jockey at the bar for about 11 years, Bob Shultz said the Roots were a cult of personality who knew their strengths.
"I think people just really enjoyed the fact that if you're tired of the themes of the other places, you can come to the Pub and share a beer with Jim and Stacie and the people around there," he said.
Located across from the Felix Street Pub, The Tiger's Den is one of the more recent additions to the former "Felix Street Experience." Co-owner Brian Myers said he was heartbroken when he heard the news of Jim and Stacie's deaths. But he's also encouraged by Loe taking over in their memory.
"I'm excited that it's going to reopen. But I'm equally excited that it's someone local from St. Joseph that's going to be taking over the helm," he said.
While Loe said he expected changes to the bar to be minimal when he bought it, his duties expanded as he checked out the location.
"Before we opened and while I was waiting for licenses, I thought, 'Why not do some upgrades?' There was a lot more than I thought there would be, but then there always is. And I have a lot more help than I thought I'd have," he said.
Loe and his volunteers gave the bar a new paint job, carpeting, pool tables and equipment. While he said he'll make some small changes, like shortening karaoke nights solely to Tuesday and adding some live music, he wants to keep things in the spirit of the venue's legacy.
"It's still going to be a no-frills bar. You just come in and have a drink," he said.
The bar will open at noon on Saturday. It will be open seven days a week, from 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Monday through Friday, noon to 1:30 a.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. to midnight on Sunday. More information about Felix Street Pub can be found on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFelix StreetPub.
Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug
