April 7, 2015 By Michael Florio (updated April 8)
A long time Woodside bar closed its doors for good last night.
Shelley’s Bar, which has been located at 58-15 Woodside Ave for nearly 70 years, closed after the landlord wanted to increase the rent as the lease was being renewed, according to bar workers.
UPDATE: However, the landlady adamantly refuted these claims. She said that the rent did not rise and that there was three years remaining on the lease. She said the owner just shut the doors and left.
Kevin Carroll, a long-time customer and on-and-off-again bartender, claimed the rent was just too high for what the business was making.
“It got to a point where the owner was taking money out of his own pocket to stay afloat and you can’t run a business that way,” Carroll added.
The current owner has been running the bar for seven years, Carroll said. Although it changed owners, it has always been home to local residents, police officers and firefighters, he added.
Long-time customers and bartenders were cleaning up the bar Tuesday and enjoying one last laugh.
“Once we close the door today that is it,” Carroll said.
Several customers are going to miss the long-time establishment.
“I’m going to miss the people and the comradery,” said Bryan, a loyal customer, who did not want to give his last name. “You always had a good laugh here.”
He added that he had been coming to the bar since he was 12-years-old, when his dad used to sit him on a stool and the two of them would watch the big games.
Carroll did not know what was replacing the bar when asked.
“It is breaking all of our hearts,” he said. “It’s a hometown establishment and we are all upset.”
