Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!

Feb. 9, 2019

Looks like the long defunct tavern and cafe storefronts have been recently repainted. Is new life coming these business locations?

Both of these places have had many different names over the years. At some point in the 1980s (I think) the wall between these businesses was opened up and it became a restaurant/tavern. My favorite incarnation was back in the 1970s when the McCleary Bakery occupied the cafe portion. My earliest memory of the restaurant was when it was known as Billie's Cafe, run by Billie Stilwell. It had a big horseshoe counter with booths along the east wall if my memory is working correctly.

Closed

Aug. 2, 2016

McCleary's only tavern has been closed for two or three years now. The space has always been a bar ever since the building was constructed ca. 1950.

The adjoining storefront was originally Billie's Cafe in the 1950s and 1960s. It later became a very nice bakery in the 1970s. Around the 1990s it had a high turnover of owners who operated restaurants. There was one string of names that probably didn't help. First, the Feed Bag, then, Bear Buns, and finally, Squatty's.

At some point in recent history the wall between the tavern and the cafe was opened up. The cafe is now closed as well.