To walk into the new Jimmy T’s bar on 104th, it is nearly impossible to believe some of the stories about the location and the bar that were there before.
According to new co-owner Jim English (who bought and restored the East Hill bar with co-owner Terry Stewart), even delivery people who have been bringing beer to the place for as many as 15 years can’t help but comment on the change.
English begins to laugh as he tells a story about a Budweiser representative who has delivered to the bar for more than a decade pointing to the natural light streaming through the front of the bar and asking him “Did you guys put windows in?”
“That’s how dark and dingy the place was,” English says with a laugh.
It’s difficult to believe walking in today, but English and Stewart have taken pains to try to literally wash away the prior image of the location, which was home to a bar called “Moonraker’s.”
“We hand-scrubbed all the walls, all the trim, the chairs, everything,” English said, adding that cleaning the kitchen alone took six weekends.
According to English, the previous bar had developed a reputation of violence and drugs, something the new owners hope locals will forget with the change in ownership and appearance.
“Right now we’re trying to transform our name,” English said. “Our plan is to make this a friendly, fun place to come.”
So far, the new owners have made an estimated $50,000 in renovations.
English said so far the plan seems to be working. While attracting a small cadre of regulars since opening in early June, English said he often sees “shady characters” see how bright the new Jimmy T’s is and leave, often remarking about how the bar has changed.
“We’re not into the quick dollar; we want to make sure people feel comfortable,” English said.
Jimmy T’s is the first business owned by English and Stewart, who both worked for a salad-dressing company in the area: Stewart as vice president and English as plant manager. When the company was purchased a few years ago, both English and Stewart found themselves without a job.
English said he decided to take a year off before going back to work. During that time, he found himself tending bar at an establishment owned by a friend. English said he was a bartender 20 years again and when his friend asked, he decided to give it another go.
“You know what?” he asks. “It’s a great job.”
After going back to work at another local plant, English began to dream of owning his own bar and working for himself instead of someone else.
“I just want to do my own thing,” he said.
English and Stewart were looking for a bar for about three years when Moonraker’s went up for sale. After seeing the 7,000-square-foot establishment, the pair decided to go for it.
“We came in and we said ‘This place has got huge potential’” he said, joking that he called the bar a “sleeping giant.”
The bar’s name is even a combination of the two owners’ names (“We couldn’t come up with a good name,” English jokes) and English says he plans on being there as much as possible to show people the new owners care.
Together, the pair set out to turn Jimmy T’s into a friendly local sports bar, with flat screen TVs on every wall, five pool tables, four electronic dartboards, pinball machines, video games and foosball table.
In the fall, English said the plan is to buy the NFL Sunday ticket and watch games on a giant screen.
They are also planning to host bands at least once a month, with some profits heading toward local charities. A dart league and pool league are also in the planning stages.
The kitchen is open, with traditional pub fare and the new bar boasts 20 beers on tap.
“We’d like to make this a destination for people to come,” he said. “Not everyone wants to drive to Seattle for a couple of cocktails.”
Despite their changes, however, English said he knows there new bar’s toughest challenge will be overcoming the preconceptions that people have because of the prior ownership and the incidents surrounding the bar.
“It’s going to be a tough struggle to overcome that image,” English said. “We just want to project an image it’s not the same place.”
JIMMY T’S
Jimmy T’s is located at 23803 104th Ave. It is open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. For more information call 253-520-6456.
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