It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another at St. Michael’s Pub, but if it doesn’t look like anything has changed, then things are off to a good start.
In May, after 41 years as the face of the place, owner Mike Bloomer turned off the “Open” sign for the last time at 1539 Riverside Drive in Allouez to embark on retirement at age 75. Of all the fixtures in a building that date back to roughly 1900, he was by far the dive bar’s most treasured. You don’t log more than a half-century in the local bar business if you’re not a people person with a quick wit.
Bloomer has turned the keys over to Harry Mazaheri. He’s one of the new proprietors, but it’s hardly his first encounter with St. Mike’s, now officially known as St. Michael’s Public House (still just St. Michael’s Pub for short though).
He’s been coming to the bar for nearly a dozen years, so when Bloomer asked if he was interested in buying it, there was no arm twisting required. Not even really any negotiations. Bloomer named his price and Mazaheri agreed.
“I think everyone always dreams of owning a bar. I put myself in that group,” said Mazaheri, who is originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and was a minority owner in a couple of New York City bars when he lived there for 25 years. “The place is fun. I liked all the people who came here. Just wanted to continue it.”
He appreciates the building’s history, dating back to a stagecoach stop, then a brothel upstairs and a long run of bars, but he also knew it would require some repairs. OK, quite a few repairs. The transfer of the liquor license meant there were things that had to be brought up to code, like plasterboard on the walls, handrails on stairs and new restroom faucets.
“It needed and still needs a bunch of maintenance that we’re catching up on,” Mazaheri said.
A leak in the roof is getting fixed, as is the air conditioning, which hadn’t worked for a number of years. The front awning will get some new shingles, and that dip in the bar floor has been fixed. The upstairs has been emptied of loads of “Mike stuff.”
A custom round wooden sign is in the works for outside to replace the large weathered one that hung there for years. That one will be restored and displayed inside the bar.
Guinness on tap and a disco ball added, but most is unchanged
The whole idea is not to alter the rugged charm of the joint, so with the exception of a few Budweiser signs Bloomer took with him, much of the decor on the walls and shelves remains, including posters, clocks and Bloomer’s bowling trophies. The one shiny new addition: a 19-inch disco ball hanging from the ceiling next to a Pabst Blue Ribbon sign.
St. Mike’s hodgepodge of mismatched office chairs of varying heights and condition are sticking around, and so is the old-school jukebox, where $1 gets you seven plays from a CD library handpicked by Bloomer. Mazaheri admits they did replace four albums that were skipping to make room for ABBA, Eric Church and more U2. He also replaced a couple of 20-year-old TVs with fuzzy pictures.
“We’re not talking anything too fancy,” he said. “The TVs are clear now. You can see them.”
Irish musician Gerry Sloan, who is well-known on the Green Bay scene, is the bar manager. Patrons can now get a Guinness on draft, and there are plans to add another four or five beers on tap. St. Michael’s doesn’t serve food, but Mazaheri did add Hammond’s Hand Made Pretzels, a hand-rolled sourdough pretzel made in his hometown and shipped in bright orange tins.
“Some of the best pretzels ever. Good with beer.”
It’s still cash only at the bar, where regulars will see many of the same faces working behind it. Mazaheri’s son bartends on Mondays with Sloan, and Bloomer’s daughter has the Wednesday night shift, which is often the best chance to catch “St. Mike” himself making a guest appearance.
Mazaheri has some ideas for theme nights, like a disco night, and has plans for Packers game days. He hints that Elvis or “his long lost son” could be showing up. The bar will also host live music from Sloan and others in the back room of the bar.
A new Facebook page under the name St. Michael’s Public House will keep patrons up to date on happenings.
Mike Bloomer had a few words of wisdom for the new owner
For those hoping to still be greeted by that well-worn, no-frills, mom-and-pop familiarity that made the original St. Michael’s Pub a Green Bay neighborhood institution, it’s not going anywhere.
“The plan was and continues to be not to change anything that changes the character of the bar. It’s going to be the same place but slightly improved,” said Mazaheri, who lives just up the street.
“I’d say if you came here Monday night last week, you’d probably see the same crowd (as this Monday night). We’ve got the same regulars, the same people. Every so often someone new comes in, but most of the time, people don’t even know it has changed.”
Maybe the most important thing staying the same comes courtesy of Bloomer, who left Mazaheri with some simple advice.
“Be nice to people. It’s a friendly place. Make sure you keep it a friendly place.”
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
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