Openings Nov. 16, 2009
The Upshot of Liquor License Failure: Uptown Gets a 24-Hour Coffeeshop
By Helen Rosner
Not exactly a lemon drop cocktail, but it'll do for now. Photo: Helen Rosner
Uptown's premier gay dive bar Clark's on Clark shuttered over two years ago, and while new owner Jim Stephens planned to reopen the space as a bar, but he's been stymied by the city's draconian liquor licensing process, reports TOC. So the space doesn't languish in emptiness, Stephens is launching it as Winston's Cafe, a coffeehouse serving soup and sandwiches along with free wifi and a plan to be open 24 hours a day. While the neighborhood probably welcomes a cafe option that stays open past curfew, it might not last forever: Stephens told TOC that he's still nursing his dream of a bar: "It's always been my dream to own my own bar," he said. "As for Winston's Cafe, it's too soon to tell how this is going to turn out. Who knows, I may find a way to have both." [TOC]
jim stephens
winston's cafe