Friday Night Fly-By

It had been a good few months since I ventured into the former Corner Tavern. I have been reading about some of the goings-on since the change of ownership.

On my way back from somewhere else I decided to stop in for a quick cocktail. The oft maligned Jaime was tending, the owner Mr. E was present, and there were a few other unfamiliar faces imbibing intoxicants. Jaime was pleasant enough, beer was cold, and the place looked cleaner than I remember.

As I type this, I realize that I bought three drinks (Shot of Cabo, Shot of the "House Special", and a Coor's Light) and didn't get a buy back. That may be a first for that location. Maybe they changed the policy. Whatever. Doesn't make or break the place for me. In my VERY brief visit, I felt a sense of anomie there. Gone were the salty drinkers, who had already seen it all. They had been supplanted by youth, who appear to be on their way to where the old regulars have already been. What was missing for me was the old IDENTITY of the bar. The bar may be headed for a new identity, but I don't think it has been established yet.

Sometimes an identity just makes itself, which I suspect was the case in the older incarnations of 1762 Broadway. The younger crowd, the younger owner, and the younger bartender will have much say in what the NEW identity will be for 1762 Broadway. IMO, the owner should be instrumental in guiding the bar as it finds its new persona. Some factors he should probably take into account are the neighborhood in which his establishment resides, the proximity to the local police station, and doing what he can to become a part of the Five Towns as a business owner. He should realize that he now has a vested interest in the neighborhood and the community he serves. The lack of addressing these factors was where the prior management fell woefully short, and I suspect added to their demise.

It will be interesting to watch and see what the old haunt will evolve into.