Sussex Place Changes Name, But Ownership Stays with Stortz

Following six weeks of difficult negotiations, has a new name, new managers and a cleaner slate with the village — but its well-known owner remains the same, for now.

One of the only bars in the area with indoor and outdoor beach volleyball, Sussex Place now is called Dive Bar, hired on new managers, and settled a few legal issues with the village.

Sussex Place owner Ronald Stortz and potential buyer Sue Powers had been discussing a change of hands, with Stortz ready to move on. The pair first addressed the Finance and Personnel Committee on Oct. 4 hoping to pull their request for a new liquor license off the agenda until they came to an official sale agreement.

However, this opened up a can of worms between Stortz and John Macy, the village attorney. With potential new owners moving in, rumors of Stortz disassociating himself from the bar began to surface, causing concern about validity of his liquor license.

“He basically admitted to not running the businesses, and someone is basically illegally running that business,” Macy said. “Just as someone’s drivers license can’t be used by another, someone’s alcohol license can’t be used by another.”

Macy said either the liquor had to be pulled from the shelves, or Stortz had to return to the business as an owner.

In addition, Macy addressed the modifications to the building without any permits; Powers had been upgrading the building in anticipation of the sale.

“They have applications with signatures, but never paid to turn them in,” Macy said. “They fixed things without permits, and there are building code violations.”

With the Village Board meeting the following Tuesday, Stortz had one week to decide whether or not he would return to the business and get everything up to code, or to sell it, turn in his liquor license and walk away.

A Partnership Develops

During Tuesday’s Village Board meeting, Stortz presented his unexpected plan to the board members. Powers sat in the crowd, this time without her lawyer.

“I’m staying, and I have hired Sue Powers as my manager to help me,” Stortz said. “The work is 99 percent done for your inspectors to go through. There will still be a sale sometime in the next few years because, let’s be honest, I’m 69 and I can’t stay forever.”

Stortz said the name will be changed to Dive Bar, but he’ll remain as the owner so all legal responsibilities — including control of the liquor license — stay with him.

“Ron will still be the owner, but we’ve been signed on as managers,” Powers said. “It’s basically a lease-to-own type of arrangement. We’ll manage the bar for a year or two, and Ron will decide if we’ve accumulated enough capital to buy it. We’re really working like a team until Ron wants to sell.”

The board is still sending the issue with the liquor license back to the Finance and Personnel Committee so there’s time for more research.

With that pending, Powers is still positive and happy to be working with Stortz.

“Ron’s had this bar forever,” Powers said. “It’s his baby. He had tears in his eyes when he handed over the keys to us, so we promised Ron that soon his bar will be back to the way it was in its glory days.”

The bar is open for business, but Powers had to take down her new sign. She said she's working with Sussex to work out the issues village officials had with the former sign.