East Dearborn Restaurant Celebrates Reopening After Two-Year Hiatus

Who is JB Bamboozles?

He was a con artist who travelled the world in the early 1900s playing tricks on people and stealing their money.

“He had to keep moving,” said Linda Rimanelli, manager of . “He was very elusive. Just when you think you’ve found him, he disappears and turns up somewhere else.”

JB was last seen in Dearborn, where he settled and started a restaurant named after himself.

"We think he's buried underneath the building," Rimanelli said.

That’s the legend according to her, but anyone you ask at JB Bamboozles will tell you something different.

“JB is actually a fictitious character,” Rimanelli said, “but we like to tell stories to people who come in here and ask, ‘Who is JB?’ We just make up stuff as we go.

"The tagline is ‘If it ain’t fun, we don’t do it.’”

It’s been one year since the restaurant reopened at its original location at 14323 Michigan Ave. in downtown east Dearborn. The restaurant was sold to the White Rhino Sports Bar, but reverted back to owner Vince Spica last year.

Now, Spica is planning for Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.

"We’re kind of rebranding JB Bamboozles,” Rimanelli explained. “Back in the day, it was for a younger crowd. Now, it’s more of a pub and grill-type atmosphere. We want it to be a comfortable place for people of all ages.”

The two-day party will have door prizes, dancing, karaoke, and a complimentary buffet. For every drink customers buy, they will receive a ticket for a raffle.

On Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m., there will be what Rimanelli calls “Shopping Saturday,” in which local vendors will set up booths to sell various goods. Possible items for sale could include jewelry, candles or miscellaneous crafts.

Rimanelli said Shopping Saturday is a regular event held on the first Saturday of every month.

“That’s something that I think, once people get used to it, it will be very popular with the community,” Rimanelli said. “They’ll know they can come here and expect something outside of the typical bar atmosphere.”

Other big surprises are in store at JB Bamboozles, too: The staff is currently developing a martini menu; and microbrew fans can expect a Michigan beer tasting party in the future.

Rimanelli said the menu has anything from pizza and burgers to home-cooked specialties like meatloaf and pot roast. Every day, up to six new specials will be featured.

“The plates are very generous for the value,” Rimanelli said. “We want to focus on our food.”

For more information on JB Bamboozles, call 313-581-0295 or visit www.jbbamboozles.com.