Louie’s Douglas Inn opened on July 1 and co-owner Abby Trucano says it was a busy night.
“Our first night we rang up just a little over 500 tickets,” she says.
The bar, formerly called PP’s Douglas Inn, was seized by the Internal Revenue Service a year ago. The previous owner, Patrick Peterson, failed to pay almost a million dollars in taxes since 1999.
Trucano and her parents, North Pacific Erectors, Inc. owners James and Arbe Williams, successfully bid on the bar for about $145,000 during a public auction last August.
Trucano says a complete remodel took about five months.
“We just kind of started with drawings on bar napkins and went from there. I’m partners with my folks Jim and Arbe and we each played a pretty big part in designing this place. I kind of took the lead on all the bar equipment, my dad took the lead on all the building and my mom’s amazing with designing stuff and picking out colors, so that was her job,” Trucano says.
The new Louie’s has brick walls, a copper-topped bar, an outdoor patio and everything is accessible by wheelchair.
“The whole place is ADA compliant, which is why you see so much space behind the bar, which actually works great for busy nights where you have multiple bartenders,” Trucano says. “But same with the bathrooms, the bathrooms are a lot bigger than what people were used to. We’ve got an access ramp. Before there wasn’t a way for people in wheelchairs to get here, so now they can.”
The bar has eight rotating beers on tap and if you’re hungry, hot dogs are available.
