Two Bucks closed?

David Lay · Post by **David Lay** » Sun May 04, 2008 11:56 am

I walked by Two Bucks (next to Sullivan's) while waiting for my laundry to dry and noticed that it's completely empty. Is the bar closed for good?

Jim DeVito · Post by **Jim DeVito** » Sun May 04, 2008 12:23 pm

I heard in the last couple of months they were no longer 2 bucks. I believe the new name was 3.50 bucks.

That place was what you might call "Hip" for a while after it opened. Then I think the "thugs" found it and started writing on that walls and smashing stuff. After that it became what you might call "Ghetto" I also heard the owner was locked up for some sort of drug related charges. So I would not be surprised if it was closed down.

David Lay · Post by **David Lay** » Sun May 04, 2008 12:28 pm

It was the Nugent Tabhairne when it first opened...and it was a pretty cool place. I believe the owner was locked up for drug trafficking charge, and it turned into Two Bucks.

Then the place went downhill...

J Hrlec · Post by **J Hrlec** » Mon May 05, 2008 11:32 am

Personally, I sure hope it is closed down. I live a few houses from Sullivan's and let me tell you that 2-buck bar next to it is nothing but a nuisance. Trio's across from Sullivan's is annoyingly loud enough without another bar on the other side of the sidewalk and it's shady clientele.

c. dawson · Post by **c. dawson** » Mon May 05, 2008 9:24 pm

I dunno, a bar closing down? What does that leave us with, another seventy or eighty left? Can we manage???

I did walk by the place once ... it was NOT a classy place. Definitely a place for someone who wants to get drunk on cheap beer, and fast.

I doubt it'll be missed.

Jim DeVito · Post by **Jim DeVito** » Tue May 06, 2008 7:16 am

c. dawson wrote:I dunno, a bar closing down? What does that leave us with, another seventy or eighty left? Can we manage???

Does anybody know the exact number of liqueur licenses in Lakewood? For some reason I think it is 63 or 67 however I do not remember where I got that number.

Brad Hutchison · Post by **Brad Hutchison** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:38 am

Jim DeVito wrote:Does anybody know the exact number of liqueur licenses in Lakewood? For some reason I think it is 63 or 67 however I do not remember where I got that number.

Current data from the state indicates that there are 152 D-class (dine in) liquor licenses active in Lakewood.

James Mullen · Post by **James Mullen** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:46 am

I understand where a lot of you are coming from in this thread, however that being said, do you have any idea the amount of money these establishments bring to the city each year. There are a handful of locations that we may be better off without, but it is time Lakewood recognizes that this is an industry that the citizens and city should be embrace. There are a lot of people putting their heart and souls into these places. A supportive community would lead to less resentment and issues.

J Hrlec · Post by **J Hrlec** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:54 am

James Mullen wrote:I understand where a lot of you are coming from in this thread, however that being said, do you have any idea the amount of money these establishments bring to the city each year. There are a handful of locations that we may be better off without, but it is time Lakewood recognizes that this is an industry that the citizens and city should be embrace. There are a lot of people putting their heart and souls into these places. A supportive community would lead to less resentment and issues.

I understand what you are trying to say...but walk by the place this thread specifically was created about and tell us how much heart and soul you think went into it (I'm sure alot of drugs went into it). Now if there was a thread on bars in general, I would say there are plenty that are nice and a value to the city...such as Sullivan's which is right next to Two Buck bar.

No way in h*ll I would support a bar like Two Buck... money or no money we do not need that type of establishment in the city and the type of person it seems to attract (I'm sure not all of its patrons though)

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:35 am

I think we also need to balance revenue generation vs quality of life. At some point the community needs to decide on the trade-offs.

Sure, alot of the bars bring in revenue, but is it worth the degredation in the quality of life? That's a decision that would need to be made.

For example, we could strip mine half of Lakewood and that would bring alot of revenue, but is it worth the cost?

I don't know what the answer is, but the bad behavior or degredation in quality of life cannot always be offset by the excuse they bring in revenue to the city.

I also think history has proven the lack of cooperation from many of these bar owners when it comes to making changes to improve the local environment. For those bad citizen's is their revenue worth the cost to the neighborhood they affect?

James Mullen · Post by **James Mullen** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:42 am

I guess my question would be, how do the bars in Lakewood affect your quality of life? And I understand there may be some bars that do not cooperate with the city, but they are the minority. Would you prefer to add to the many empty storefronts? Do you realize the rent, or mortgage payment for a bar owner is significantly higher than it would be for an average retail tenant?

J Hrlec · Post by **J Hrlec** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:56 am

James Mullen wrote:I guess my question would be, how do the bars in Lakewood affect your quality of life? And I understand there may be some bars that do not cooperate with the city, but they are the minority. Would you prefer to add to the many empty storefronts? Do you realize the rent, or mortgage payment for a bar owner is significantly higher than it would be for an average retail tenant?

I'm not sure if that was directed specifically to Bryan but I can answer this one.

Here's just 3 ways they affect my quality of life personally:

1.) Noise throughout the late night from drunken or non-drunken patrons in and out of the bar (especially now everyone is outside smoking)
2.) Crime - there have already been a number of fights and other criminal activity at some of the nearby bars where the cops had to be called
3.) Drunken drivers - sure much of this has to do with cheap booze and unresponsible bartenders as well as each person's own non-responsibility

A couple questions I would have are:

How do we know that non-cooperative bars are the minority?
If a bar would bring any of the effects above, why should I care if they will pay higher rent for the space?

Bryan Schwegler · Post by **Bryan Schwegler** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:58 am

My response to the empty storefront has always been that we have too much antiquated retail space in Lakewood. Tear some of it down and turn it into green space.

But bars do not directly affect my quality of life since I don't live by any, but the answer to that question may be different for those that do.

I'm simply saying that just because an industry may bring in revenue or may pay higher rent should not always be automatic justification for its existence. Sometimes a community may decide they'd rather not have the business there.

Jim DeVito · Post by **Jim DeVito** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:02 pm

Bryan Schwegler wrote:My response to the empty storefront has always been that we have too much antiquated retail space in Lakewood. Tear some of it down and turn it into green space.

Amen!! But that is an thread for another day

James Mullen · Post by **James Mullen** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:17 pm

In terms of the specific bar we are speaking about, I could not agree more. There comes a time no matter what the business is where it is a public nuisance. As we all know there are a few of those business throughout the city. What I am more concerned with is the negative conotation that bars have with the majority of our citizens. I understand that noise can be an issue, but I think if you reviewed police logs there are not many noise complaints coming to bars. There are a few "problem" bars, but for the most part the bars keep to themselves. I would ask you to consider all the local lakewood residents that are patronizing these establishments. I also think the DUI question is not on the bars, and I think it is unfair to think that most of the DUI's come from people over indulging at the local tavern. Again, I think the tavern industry gets an unfair rep. around town.