While some parts of Schuylkill County were said to once have a bar on every block, that time is coming to an end as many are now closing, possibly due to the economy and stricter DUI laws.
Some of the recently closed bars and restaurants include Cactus Jacks Southwestern Grille, 2880 Pottsville-Minersville Highway, Minersville; Yockos, 18 N. Delaware Ave., Minersville; Clarion House, 100 S. Morris St., Saint Clair; and Restaurant at the Station, 18 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua.
According to its website, Cactus Jacks was closed as of Feb. 3.
It was a restaurant in the site of the former Amigo's Mexican Grill, which closed about August 2011.
Cactus Jacks opened in February 2012. The owners couldn't be reached for comment.
Yockos could also not be reached for comment, but Minersville police Chief Michael Combs confirmed Friday it was closed and comments on its Facebook page also indicated that.
Clarion House could not be reached for comment and its telephone number was disconnected.
According to the Restaurant at the Station website, the restaurant is now closed after being open for eight years, but the owners will soon be opening another location called the Brookside Pub in Park Place near Mahanoy City and any gift certificates from the Tamaqua restaurant will be honored there.
Chas Premich, owner of The Coal Mine Tap Room, 2 N. Third St., Saint Clair, said Friday that his other bar, The Roundhouse, 104 N. Second St., Saint Clair, while rumored to be closed, is open one day a week.
"It's a tough gig now-a-days," Premich said. "It's kind of a combination of things. The economy thing isn't a rumor."
Premich said after Dec. 29, 2012, he started opening only on Fridays to keep his "liquor license alive" and lowered the price of drinks.
"I now make more on Friday night than I did any day of the week," he said. "I really think it's an economic thing more than anything."
While saying that he thinks people just can't afford to come out like they once did, Premich said it's been a gradual decline.
"I've seen regulars who used to be here Friday and Saturday every week up to about a year ago then come every second weekend," he said. "Some people pick a night."
Other reasons Premich said is some police going "above and beyond what should be practical" for DUI enforcement. While it isn't necessarily a bad thing, some people getting harassed could discourage them to go out.
He also said that many bands that play shows on weekends don't have the same following they once did and many still demand a $500 or $600 guarantee even if only 20 people show up.
For now, he's going to continue to be open Friday nights and have bands play for what they make with cover charges, while the bar is also for sale.
"In the restaurant and bar industry, there's so many that open and don't even last a year," he said.
Another popular bar in the area, Longboards Bar, 204 Peacock St., Pottsville, also temporarily closed for a week for renovations.
Paul Lazarchick, owner of the bar and who also owns The Pottsville Zone, said that his son was running the bar but got a new job out of the area.
Lazarchick added that while many bars in the area are closing and not doing well, he also thinks it's due to the economy.
He said that many new bars and restaurants don't even last a year and one reason for that is all the overhead costs.
He noted that times are different now from when he originally purchased The Stadium at least 20 years ago for $12,000, which included a liquor license.
Since Lazarchick said he can't run both bars as well as his hall for catered events, it will now be under new management.
Jim Toomey, Pottsville, a retired middle school social studies teacher, said that the bar will be called Toom's Pub and will reopen at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Toomey said that in the past he ran the former Mortimer's Pub, now The Wooden Keg Tavern, 1 W. Caroline Ave., Saint Clair.
"It will be different," Toomey said.
While he said that the "beach motif" of Longboards isn't his thing, the bar will now be more "retro" and will have pictures from the 1940s hung around the bar.
He still plans to offer live entertainment on the weekends with DJ Joe Devine playing Friday and DJ Butterball on Saturday.
"I'm hoping that the neighborhood bar will still be able to get through this tough times," Toomey said.
In reaction to many of the bars and restaurants in the area closing, Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robert Carl said by email Friday that the fact is the nation and state economic conditions have not dramatically changed since the recent recession.
"As the Executive Director of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, I and the Chamber are always saddened to see businesses built on an entrepreneurial spirit finding the necessity to cut back their operations or closing," Carl said. "While there have been some modest changes in economic indicators, the fact remains that many businesses are continuing to struggle. Individual's disposable income for food and entertainment has remained very flat in growth or have not grown at all as wages have remained relatively flat, related to the inability of businesses to be more aggressive with jobs and wages in these difficult economic times."
Carl said that the restaurant and tavern business can be hurt by the inability of individuals to "go out and spend more."
"The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce's Mission is dedicated to serving its members and affiliates with value-added programs and services, and improving the quality of life and economic vitality of our county," he said. "The Chamber stands ready to offer assistance to members or prospective members through methods in line with our mission."