For years the ground floor at 190 Territorial Road in Benton Harbor has been welcoming thirsty travelers. It was a long time neighborhood bar before Bryan Seckelmann completely remodeled the entire building when the Benton Harbor Arts District was created, paving the way for Pauly's Bar & Grill. Then, as the district was leaping into the forefront, the building became a popular restaurant, bar and even occasional music club.
When Pauly retired from the business, the place became home to The Library Pub & Eatery and continued to celebrate considerable traffic and many a happy visitor. Owners Julianne Benya & Jim Allen elected to shift their focus to Jim's growing enterprise, Advantage Plumbing of Michiana based in Niles a little over a year ago and quietly place the bar and grill onto the market.
That's when Al Baker and his business partner Laurie Pagogna developed a keen interest in purchasing the club to convert it into their own eclectic version of the Arts District food and fun. Tragically, right in the middle of their negotiations, Laurie died unexpectedly of an enlarged heart at the age of 50, nearly dashing the deal.
After considerable serious introspection and though-provoking deliberation, Mr. Baker decided that Laurie would have wanted him to continue to advance the project and he followed through on the purchase.
Fast forward to barely a year later and Mr. Baker last week notified fans, friends and customers that the end was close at hand. On August 8th he dispatched a message to his Facebook fans saying:
I would like to thank those of you who gave me lots of support in the last year of my owning this wonderful establishment. Unfortunately, things don't always work out the way you want them to. We are still open for the time being, so come in and visit us while you can. There is a sale pending, and great things will be happening soon. Right now, we are trying to support local guests so long as possible. Thank you for a year filled with great emotion and support. Check in daily. We appreciate your continued support. More news to come. Al Baker.
That was apparently designed to forewarn of the impending closure and ease through remaining inventory issues. A couple of days later, Mr. Baker issued a much simpler message on Friday morning, August 12th:
Baker's is now closed! Thank you to all who joined us this last year.
I reached out to Al for a bit of clarification regarding the future of 190 Territorial. He simply reiterated that Baker's Downtown Pub & Eatery is officially closed as of last Thursday night. He says he is not really able to divulge much more at this time, but promises that in a few weeks he'll have more to the story. He says he met a lot of great people and wishes he might have had "a different outcome." He had solicited the guidance of Ray Mays of Rays on the Green as a partner in his project for a smooth transition from the previous owners, however Mays ended up taking on additional work at The Food District in downtown St. Joseph while also operating Rays.
Baker calls the Arts District "a vibrant, wonderful area" and adds, "we had a diverse group of good people coming in on a daily basis." Al says he expects "to see someone else in that location at some time soon." With the closure of The Ideal Place next door, that leaves that block without an active restaurant and bar for the first time since the Arts District was first formed more than 20 years ago.
Stay tuned for more on the fate of what has been a popular stop in the Benton Harbor Arts District.
