Customers are few and far between on weeknights at the Brooklyn Tavern.
The historic Brooklyn Tavern is on the sale block.
The backwoods tavern, home of the popular Saginaw Days logger’s competition, is located well off the beaten path and nestled deep in the dense woods between Oakville and Cosmopolis. The current owners, Warren and Ciara Brough, have been in charge since 2013, but their circumstances have changed and now they are looking for someone else to continue the North River Road tradition.
The Brooklyn Tavern is not officially listed for sale with any professional real estate company, but a Facebook post from early this week announced the couple’s decision to sell the business. The asking price is $150,000, and that includes the tavern, a house and the property adjacent to the tavern that is used to host the Saginaw Days competitions.
“We’re just feeling it out there right now,” said Ciara Brough.
The decision to sell the tavern was not one that came easy to the Broughs, but the evolving nature of life has seemingly forced their hand.
“It’s been in Warren’s family for the past 25 to 30 years,” noted Ciara Brough. “He’s been working behind the bar since he was 21.”
She explained that the couple have a new baby to care for in addition to their 9-year-old daughter, and they both work jobs outside of the tavern as well.
“We’re just not where we were when we first got into this,” said Ciara Brough.
Despite the lack of an official listing, Ciara Brough doesn’t believe the historic tavern will be too hard to sell.
In fact, the couple already has two meetings set up with prospective buyers this weekend.
“I don’t think it will be for sale for long,” she said.
With change comes an unsettling wave of uncertainty for the regulars that make the trek to reach their favorite backwoods watering hole.
Ciara Brough noted that traffic to the tavern has slowed considerably during the fall and winter months ever since Weyerhaeuser locked most of their gates and switched to fee access for hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts.
Prior to that land management change, the months coinciding with hunting season had historically been the tavern’s peak period, with rugged outdoor types often riding their four-wheelers to the tavern in order to wet their whistles.
Saginaw Days is another tradition that could be headed the way of public access to private timberlands.
Ciara Brough noted that whoever purchases the tavern will take over the Saginaw Days property as well as the responsibility to put on the loggers’ gala.
“I hope that whoever does buy it will continue Saginaw Days but it’s hard to say. It’s a very expensive production,” she said.
With so many memories and traditions tied up in one unassuming timber trail tavern, Ciara Brough also hopes that the new owners will respect the pitch-stained history of the place, saying, “We really hope to find someone who will keep the integrity of the bar intact.”
According to Ciara Brough, the Brooklyn Tavern, located at 2611 N. River Road, Cosmopolis, will remain open throughout the sale process.
If you have questions or are interested in purchasing the historic tavern, Ciara Brough can be reached by telephone at (360) 500-0941. Text messages are preferred.
