There soon will be a new owner for downtown Lucky’s bar and the building where it’s located.
Developer Kevin Tupy of Cresten Capital Holdings is buying the building at 224 S. Phillips Ave. and the business from Jason Froehling.
“We are elated to carry on the legacy of Jason and his team as it relates to the tremendous business and following they have built at Lucky’s,” Tupy said.
“And we are equally excited about refreshing, enhancing and adding additional amenities to give the business a new look and feel while maintaining its central focus.”
That includes keeping the name, the pool tables and darts, he emphasized.
“We know people love it for pool, so we’re definitely keeping the pool tables, but we want to add TVs and furnishing conducive to exciting environments,” he said.
“This is not going to be the same old Lucky’s.”
As soon as the deal closes, which is scheduled for October, “we are going to enhance the fit and finish with paint, flooring, new ceiling tiles,” he said. “We’re going to give it a light to medium refresh and put a significant amount of dollars into making it a central gathering place downtown.”
That will include playing up the sports element of the building, so along with playing pool there will be more sports viewing available, thanks to a new sound system and “significantly more TVs,” Tupy said.
He also has plans to expand the menu, which is minimal currently, and take more advantage of the 12,000-square-foot lower level, which includes a speak-easy.
“The basement is fantastic,” Tupy said. “We’re going to open up and expand the hours.”
The upstairs of the building, which dates back to 1910, will be converted into a loft, Tupy said.
“It’s been well-kept, and the top floor has been underutilized as storage,” he said.
Construction is expected to take a few months, Tupy said.
“We’re going to try to do most of the work during nonbusiness hours,” he said. “But be prepared to see the scaffolding and dropcloths in there.”
The purchase adds to Tupy’s growing downtown portfolio. He also owns the historic Beach Pay Building at 122 S. Phillips Ave., the building to the north of Lucky’s, which includes boutiques and a loft, and the Telford Building at 311 S. Phillips Ave., which includes CH Patisserie.
“I’m proud to help continue to preserve buildings along the core of Phillips Avenue,” he said.