Winchester Tavern To Reopen In Lakewood's Birdtown

LAKEWOOD, OH — Lakewood’s Winchester Music Tavern is reopening on Madison Avenue. A grand opening celebration is planned for Memorial Day weekend, with acts flying in from New York and Los Angeles. For one of the city’s more storied bars, the path to a second (or third) chance seemed fated.

At least, it was fated for Shane Motolik, the erstwhile bartender whose love for the Winchester inspired him to buy up the bar and return it to its original name (mostly) and bring its musical stylings back to the community.

As a young man from Wakeman, Ohio, Motolik had little exposure to the hip music culture of Lakewood or Cleveland, let alone some place like New York. Most of Motolik’s neighbors and peers were interested in farming, he told Patch, not learning how to play "Harvest Moon" on an acoustic guitar.

So he subsisted on Neil Young and Bob Dylan records. He dug the folksier side of the rock pantheon and fancied himself something of a troubadour himself. But there was no outlet in Wakeman, or later Lakeland and Amherst, where he moved.

Then, in a moment of delightful serendipity, Motolik heard about a place that had an open mic night in Lakewood. Soon he found himself waltzing into the Winchester. As soon as the doors swung open and the rush of singer-songwriter ballad-ing consumed him, he was done for. It was love at first sound.

He used to tell friends that if he was ever going to own a bar, it would be the Winchester. “That was the ideal situation,” he said. “I wasn’t even thinking about owning a bar back then.”

But perfect situations rarely develop instantly. Instead, Motolik moved to Los Angeles and began bartending. Many of his friends owned bars or music venues. He started to accumulate knowledge and a desire to open his own place.

In his absence, the Winchester went through an evolution of its own. Its original owner found Jesus, packed up all of his belongings and hit the road to preach the Gospel. To fund his mission, he sold the Winchester.

And so the Winchester became the Bevy. The new owners, who were also owners of New Century Builders, revamped the bar, giving it a much needed facelift.

But the Bevy never found its niche and was once again put up for sale.

The timing was perfect.

Motolik was ready to open his own place. He couldn’t do it in the City of Angels, though. L.A. may have some advantages over Cleveland, but real estate prices is not one of them. The sheer upfront cost of owning a bar or club in Los Angeles was prohibitive. So Motolik moved back to Cleveland in 2015.

And news travels quick on the Northeast Ohio grapevine, and soon Motolik discovered the Winchester was up for sale.

“I got my brother involved and a good friend of mine. It was hard not to pull the trigger,” he told Patch. He also decided immediately to rename the bar the Winchester. “It’s the Winchester. It’s always been the Winchester. It’s only appropriate to bring it back. I think it’s something Lakewood needs.”

Music and Gentle Touches

The owners of the Bevy kept the bar in good shape, Motolik says. He doesn’t see much need for reconstruction. His primary changes to the bar will include a revamped back area to accommodate music acts, and at some point he wants to repaint the women’s bathroom.

“We’ll do some gradual changes,” he said. “There will be more pictures on the wall. There will be different artwork on the wall. We’re not doing a ton.”

Soon, all of the small nips and tucks will be completed, and the bar will be open to the public again. Things will kick off on Memorial Day weekend with a Saturday performance from DJ Moist, Case Barge and a few other acts. A Sunday concert is also planned, though its not clear which band will be taking the stage that night.

After that, residents and fans of live music can expect a steady stream of indie rockers, Motolik says. He wants to catch some national touring bands and bring them to local audiences.

But he also wants to highlight acts from Northeast Ohio. That means giving local talent a place to shine and an audience to perform to, so you can expect a steady dose of Cleveland-area bands intermixed with the national touring acts.

There are also tentative plans to set up a comedy night. Motolik said he’d like to see comedians come in maybe once a month and perform.

“We want to create a place where people can go and be together,” he said.

The Winchester’s third life begins Memorial Day weekend, and Motolik couldn’t be more excited. For the city, it's another step in the development of Madison.

"We’re looking forward to seeing this space activated again in Birdtown. The interior build out in this space was really well done," Lakewood's Planning and Development Director Bryce Sylvester told Patch. "The Birdtown district remains very active, with LBM Cocktail Bar opening soon across the street, and Cassablanca Urban Cantina planned to open next door to the Winchester. Madison is on the move. "

You can follow updates on the Winchester at its Facebook page by clicking here. You can also follow the bar's Instagram by clicking here.

Photos from Rick Uldricks, Patch