Farewell Epp's

My neighborhood tavern is no more. Epp's Place has closed it doors for good and will reopen as a fancier sports bar next week.

I can't say I was a regular at Epp's but I probably went to Epp's more than any other bar in Ballard. Since it was just tavern (nor hard stuff just beer), I usually went out elsewhere with friends but Epp's was my place to just stop by for a beer or two on my own after work. It was by all accounts a total dive; everything was run down, the pool table sucked, they had pull tabs, and the bathroom was really skeezy. But it was always clear that the regulars loved it. The regulars were a real blue collar crowd too and honestly the most friendly people around.

I loved going over there to catch a game on TV. I'll always remember watching the game 7 of last year's Red Sox-Yankee's series there. I loved that you could always count on Epp's having both Pabst Blue Ribbon and Rainier on tap. I loved that even though I only went in a couple times a month the bartender would always know I wanted a PBR.

My favorite Epp's memory has to be from last November. I was there with Merychippus and the bartender, who seemed like he'd had more than a bit to drink himself, came up and asked us what we were doing for Thanksgiving. We both said we were doing stuff with family. He then told us that they were going to have a Thanksgiving there at Epp's and everyone was bringing something. I thanked him for the offer and told if my other plans fell through I'd definitely consider it. It really touched me that Epp's was serving as a gathering place for people that had no where else to go on that most family oriented of holidays. Then 5 minutes later the same bartender came up and asked us again what were doing for Thanksgiving and just as we started to answer he realized his mistake and started to laugh. That's the kind of place Epp's Place was; both strangely warm and unintentionally hilarious.

I guess I should have seen it coming as the block had become increasingly upscale with a nice coffee joint and a really nice restaurant turning up in recent years, But I guess I always just assumed Epp's would be there and now after 5 and half years of living half a block from it its gone for good. I'll probably visit this new sports bar jut as much as Epp's but it won't be the same