DANVILLE —
Anyone hoping to make “last call” at Bailey’s Jury Room at 20 W. Main St., will need to be there by 2 p.m. Saturday.
Owners John and “Tiny” Bailey are closing the establishment after nearly a decade in business. Both say the decision to close was “bittersweet.”
“We just wanted to announce our retirement,” Tiny said. “We’ve been here seven years and we’re just turning the property over.”
She said she had originally planned to keep the restaurant in the family.
“We bought it as a family business, because we have eight grandsons, one granddaughter, and four children,” Tiny said. “We thought this was going to be turned over to them someday, but they’ve all gone different paths and now we’re ready to retire ... and let somebody else take it over.”
Tiny said she’ll miss getting to talk to the patrons who frequented the establishment.
“It’s been a bittersweet decision,” she said. “A lot of these people are like family. We have a great clientele; it’s not your typical bar clientele. Most of the people here have been in the community awhile. This is just ... one big happy family.”
John agreed and added, “We thank all of our loyal customers. I’m going to miss the people — that’s the biggest thing. I won’t miss the headaches, I’ll just miss the people. That’s the most enjoyable part about it, is the people that come in.”
Tiny also said the staff deserved a big “thank you.”
“We’ve got a great staff, we had a wonderful ... loyal staff,” she said. “Normally, when you announce a retirement ... you lose staff. But we’ve kept 95 percent of the staff. We’ve had some great people. We’ve had one girl that’s been with us for six years. That says something in a food service place.”
As an Irish bar, Tiny said their annual St. Patrick’s Day parties were her favorite events.
“St. Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite moments since it’s an Irish bar,” she said. “St. Patrick’s Day was always something to look forward to. We started doing (live) entertainment about two years ago and that was a good thing. We’ve seen some talented people come through here. When we had comedy night, we had some comedians here that were nationally known, which was quite honorable. That was a fun thing.”
She said what the regulars might miss the most, is Bailey’s breaded tenderloin.
“Breaded tenderloins by far (have been the most popular),” she said. “They have been our biggest seller. They’re like no other. They’re thick, handcut, breaded, and they’ve just been one of our biggest sellers.”
Tiny and John said Saturday will be the bar’s last day, and serve as an all-day retirement party.
“DJ Press will be here from 2 to 8 p.m.,” she said. “Then our grandson ... Josh Chalfant and his friend Landon Keller ... will perform the rest of the night.”
The couple said that after John’s retirement from the phone company, and their retirement from a bed and breakfast they owned for 11 years, this will be their third retirement experience.
Tiny said they’re not sure what will come next.
“This is our third retirement, but we’re looking forward to the next venture,” she said. “There will be something, I guarantee you, because we can’t just sit. It’s not in our makeup.”
For more information, call Bailey’s at 745-6424, or search Facebook for Bailey’s Jury Room for the latest details regarding the retirement party.
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