Liam's Ale House, Ale Mary's and Max's are among Baltimore's Franken-bars
When Liam Flynn started building his new bar in Station North, he didn't go to the nearest hardware store.
He didn't scour Home Depot looking for the cheapest piece of pinewood, or the shiniest door knobs.
He went vintage shopping for bar parts as he would for second-hand football jerseys.
Flynn's idea of a Goodwill are architectural salvage stores like the Loading Dock and Second Chance, where he can find everything from stained glass to decades-old flooring.
He is among a growing number of bar owners that are using architectural salvage to enhance their established properties, or build new ones on the cheap.
While the practice has been common with bar owners seeking a vintage look, it's taken on a new currency with the shaky economy and a national movement toward building green.
The full story is in today's Sunrise. For a photo gallery of these Franken-bars, click here.
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
too bad the bar is in a stabby area
Posted by: j | October 4, 2010 6:15 PM
nice article Erik.
Posted by: jason z | October 4, 2010 6:32 PM
when is liam's ever going to open!! i've been waiting SO LONG!!
Posted by: kd | October 5, 2010 9:17 AM
kd,
Blame the City. According to contractors at this site (and several others around the city), they haven't been able to get city inspectors out to grant permits, approve already-done changes, etc., supposedly because the city has furloughed a bunch of inspectors, partially because of the financial woes and partially because they're behind in a lot of work.
As one frustrated contractor said to me at another site, "You need a permit and two inspections just to scratch your [butt} in this city."
Liam's plan involves major changes to the building's facade, and anyone with any sense is going to say that inspections and supervision are a mandatory part of that job.
And if you think you've been waiting long for Liam Flynn's, just imagine the would-be business owners who are stuck without income for many more months in these delays. I'm told the delays have killed one proposal elsewhere in town, halfway through reconstruction.
Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV | October 5, 2010 9:39 AM