Long-standing Downtown bar moving to new location

By Harry Loomis

The Rendezvous Bar is relocating to a new Downtown location in the coming weeks.

The bar, known for its live music, has called 619 Felix St. home since the 1980s.

When owner Keith Dudley bought the bar last year, he didn’t anticipate the move. However, as a realtor, he knew he couldn’t refuse the opportunity.

“An opportunity came up, a realtor friend of ours called us,” Dudley said. “He called us and said, ‘Hey, are you leasing? I got a building.’ So we purchased the building and we’re just excited to continue the legacy that Jimmy Green got going here, you know, 30 years ago.”

Since Dudley has been leasing the Rendezvous’ departing location, he found himself limited on expanding hours with another shop next door.

“We share a wall with with the business right next to us,” Dudley said. “Music can sometimes be a little loud for them. So in order for me to expand my hours, I think the best move was for us to get our own building.”

The legacy that former owner Green created was based heavily around attracting live bands. Now that Sk8Bar has left town, Rendezvous has attracted a larger crowd for the gigs they bring in.

“The main thing we wanted to do was to at least have as much room as we have now,” Dudley said. “We want to continue the music because that’s the main reason I got into this.”

Dudley maintains that while the Rendezvous may have a new home, the bar will be the same.

“We’re not changing anything,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, the bar is not the building. The bar is the people. We’ve got a lot of excitement behind it. So it is a little bittersweet, though, because it’s been here for so long, but it’s going to be good.”

The bar is throwing a “last hurrah” on Saturday, Feb. 17. The new location will be announced at a later date.