10.21.2011

YPSILANTI TAP ROOM HISTORY!


The Tap Room History

From Brian Brickley:

The old Tap Room had fallen on hard times by the time it we saw it. The beautiful wood work was all there but the top trim piece had fallen off years ago exposing fluorescent light fixtures. Half the room was full of booths and chairs and the other half was full of the broken pieces of booths and chairs.

Apparently whenever a chair broke the standard procedure was to take the pieces and put them "over there". And keep in mind the place was open for business! A handful of colorful characters and some college students frequented the joint on a regular basis.

John Farres and his wife Teddy had owned the Bar since 1941. They bought it just a few days before they announced that the Bomber Plant was being constructed in Willow Run. John said he never would have been able to afford it if the previous owner had known the plant was coming. When he sold it to us he was 95.



Unfortunately as the years went by the interest in live music began to fade. The attendance at the live shows got smaller and smaller. In 2004 we made a very painful decision to end all live music. The place just wasn't big enough to have music and a game room with a pool table. The last open mic night with Chris Buhalis was a very sad and tear filled evening.

In comes the pool table, a bunch of cool video games, a new counter with stools in the back and surprise, a whole bunch of new customers. Lisa and I were shocked at what a fun place the bar became.

As Jon our longtime bartender says "this place is Cheers!" Everybody knows everybody. Just show up and within a few minutes you will be playing pool with a new friend or catching up with an old one.


The Annex

About the same time all this was going on we took over management of Louis' Cafe. The restaurant was located next door to our building and had been there for years. We saw an opportunity to someday connect the two to allow the Tap Room to have a larger kitchen, more pool tables and room to bring back live music.

Lisa named the restaurant The Tap Room Annex which is the name John Farres used for an adjoining space that he had many years ago. Our water bill for the bar has come in the name Tap Room Annex ever since we owned it.

Our Tap Room customers and a lot of folks that haven't been in the bar love our food and the atmosphere at The Annex. The Ann Arbor News raved about us in their review and we couldn't be more proud of our staff. Brian Brickley



The Tap Room has been around Ypsilanti long before I was born... I think... I always remember seeing that very cool Neon Martini Glass whenever riding through town with my mom back in the early 60's.

Brian Brickley Tap Room owner and Kimmer

Around the time I moved back home to Ypsilanti (1997) I heard a young couple had bought the Tap Room and turned it into a cool jazzy club. It was true! Brian and Lisa did buy it and it was now a very hip place to hang out. I worked right down Michigan Avenue from the club and hung out for "Happy Hour" a lot. Loved the club. But I moved in 2002 to West Ann Arbor and didn't frequent Ypsi much after that....


The Original door is still there....

1 comment:

Fast Film said...

'Love your night streetscape! Upgrading your photo skills again, eh? Dee and you look cute as gals about town as well.

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