After ownership of O'Hooley's Pub and Brewery switched hands in December, a major overhaul began to improve its general appearance.
Jim Prouty, who owned the bar for 24 years, sold it to Art Oestrike, owner of Bagel Street Deli, 27 S. Court St., and silent partner Lenny Meyer for an undisclosed amount.
Oestrike said he bought O'Hooley's, 24 W. Union St., because he was meant to run a bar. When Prouty put it on the market because not enough money justified the effort
Oestrike took the opportunity to upgrade the music venue.
I think people want to drink in a nice venue. I want people to smell cleanliness when they walk in Oestrike said.
Even though most renovations for the bar are planned for this summer, O'Hooley's already is under construction during the day and open for business every night at 8 p.m.
A brand-new sexy patio is scheduled to be done by St. Patrick's Day, Oestrike said.
By the end of August, a 60-foot bar will run along the left wall, and the stage will be moved to the back center where the bar currently is.
As for rumors that O'Hooley's could be expanded to become two stories, Oestrike said he doesn't own the building, just the bar, but maybe in 10 years.
O'Hooley's, which used to be home to a brewmaster, plans to switch its focus back to brewing by upgrading its equipment to a new, sleek stainless steel look and staffing at least two brewers. Oestrike said he has a modest deadline to be on tap by Valentine's Day.
Prouty said he sold the brewery because the overhead was too high. His cost for renewing O'Hooley's brewing license was $8,000 annually.
Being in the bar business there are so many controls on you
and you get jerked around too much that you have to make a lot of money to make it worth while
Prouty said.
Oestrike enlisted some friends to help with the renovations. We threw every last penny we had into this project
he said.
O'Hooley's also plans to upgrade its sound quality by catering to musicians with a new PA system and a sound technician at every show.
This has always been a problematic venue for bands to play at because of the acoustics. The way the stage is set up isn't the best
said Brad Clark, temporary booking manager for O'Hooley's. We're going to do all we can to make it sound better and make it more musician friendly.
Clark, a fifth-year creative writing major at Ohio University and member of the eccentric band Kid Panda Hands, has been involved with the Athens music scene for four years and an employee at O'Hooley's for two years. He said the brewery plans to stick to its roots with a bluegrass jam band and classic rock sound, but will also incorporate some hip-hop music in the lineup.
Although O'Hooley's will cater mainly to the local music scene, it already has scheduled some bigger acts, such as B.B. King's daughter, Shirley King, who will perform in March.
Clark said the brewery is trying to enrich the music scene and create a more cohesive club scene in Athens. He said O'Hooley's isn't looking to compete with The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St., or the Blue Gator, 63 N. Court St., but work with them.
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Kelly Schwaberow
