An old saying about bars goes "There's a fine line between a dive and
a gold mine". Joe's Place probably got its last remodel when Joe took
over the bar in 1987. You know the building and bar license goes back
farther than 23 years. The pool tables are pleasantly green on the
felt and busy. The cans of beer from coolers arrive clean and fresh
smelling, so we know refrigeration and sanitation is watched. Draughts
from Joe's tabs are clean tasting with no skanky aftertaste and the
glassware sparkles. The bar is composed of that post-modern wood that
requires no polishing or varnishing, although the fake wood grain is
wearing off. The carpet is vacuumed and tidy, but hopelessly
threadbare. Most bars of this country sort have poured concrete
floors. The bar tender is a bearded young man, trim and black, who is
bright and quick. Joe, clearly is pushing his sixth decade if not his
seventh or eighth. He keeps an open bottle of beer before him on the
bar and an eye on everything. He knows the names and claims to fame of
his regulars. He politely drew me into conversation after seeing me
wandering around, taking mental pictures. He wanted to know if I were
looking for someone. And so we sat at his bar, and he asked about my
home town and from where I had driven. And he gave me black cherry
M&M's. This is a do-it-yourself bar. Order and pickup your drinks at
the bar. Pick your music from the jukebox. Keep the quarters flowing
into the pool table. A group of young men, sharp looking guys, and
their women flocked the tables and kept the pool table busy and the
bartender mixing. All the fine young people were bonding over shot
drinks. I am guessing these were Ionia prison guards with overtime pay
in their pockets, probably within walking distances of their Saranac
two story homes. Life is good in downtown Saranac, with many of the
old storefronts housing businesses, one that specializes in pasties,
several in offices for lawyers. The depot had been ardently restored,
red paint that gleamed under the spotlights, a building now proudly
housing the local historical society. Many of the buildings on a side
street enjoy splendid views of the Grand River from their back doors.
Now if we can encourage merchants to leave the lights in the
storefront windows open all night long, to make window shopping easy.
a gold mine". Joe's Place probably got its last remodel when Joe took
over the bar in 1987. You know the building and bar license goes back
farther than 23 years. The pool tables are pleasantly green on the
felt and busy. The cans of beer from coolers arrive clean and fresh
smelling, so we know refrigeration and sanitation is watched. Draughts
from Joe's tabs are clean tasting with no skanky aftertaste and the
glassware sparkles. The bar is composed of that post-modern wood that
requires no polishing or varnishing, although the fake wood grain is
wearing off. The carpet is vacuumed and tidy, but hopelessly
threadbare. Most bars of this country sort have poured concrete
floors. The bar tender is a bearded young man, trim and black, who is
bright and quick. Joe, clearly is pushing his sixth decade if not his
seventh or eighth. He keeps an open bottle of beer before him on the
bar and an eye on everything. He knows the names and claims to fame of
his regulars. He politely drew me into conversation after seeing me
wandering around, taking mental pictures. He wanted to know if I were
looking for someone. And so we sat at his bar, and he asked about my
home town and from where I had driven. And he gave me black cherry
M&M's. This is a do-it-yourself bar. Order and pickup your drinks at
the bar. Pick your music from the jukebox. Keep the quarters flowing
into the pool table. A group of young men, sharp looking guys, and
their women flocked the tables and kept the pool table busy and the
bartender mixing. All the fine young people were bonding over shot
drinks. I am guessing these were Ionia prison guards with overtime pay
in their pockets, probably within walking distances of their Saranac
two story homes. Life is good in downtown Saranac, with many of the
old storefronts housing businesses, one that specializes in pasties,
several in offices for lawyers. The depot had been ardently restored,
red paint that gleamed under the spotlights, a building now proudly
housing the local historical society. Many of the buildings on a side
street enjoy splendid views of the Grand River from their back doors.
Now if we can encourage merchants to leave the lights in the
storefront windows open all night long, to make window shopping easy.
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