COMSTOCK PARK, MICH — After being closed for the last three years, Nick Fink’s Bar, the oldest bar in Grand Rapids, is reopening later this month, giving people the opportunity to once again have a drink with history.
“Such a beautiful bar, old-timey bar, to sit at after work with your buddies and just kind of feel the history and the character of Nick Fink's,” said Gilmore Collection Creative Director Matt Dowdy.
When you walk in, you can’t help to feel nostalgic, from the patent leather booths to the vintage wallpaper still hanging.
“These patent leather booths are part of what makes Nick Fink's iconic. It's part of the look, especially juxtaposition against the unique wallpaper,” said Dowdy.
There is even an old safe by the entrance.
“We still haven't been able to open it since we purchased the bar, so we have no idea what's in here,” Dowdy said.
The bar opened 136 years ago inside the Riverside Hotel. It was owned by three generations of the Fink family until the Gilmore Collection took over.
Dowdy says, “There's so much lore and legend involved with this location.”
That includes Ernest Hemingway, who was known to have a drink or two.
“He used to like to come here on his way to going up north to write stories,” said Dowdy.
He says over the years, staff and patrons have even reported seeing ghosts in the bar.
Dowdy said, “I think legend and lore is part of what makes Nick Fink’s special. Is it true? Is it not true? That's for you to decide and find out.”
And now you can! After the bar was closed for three years because of the pandemic, the Gilmore Collection says the time is right to reopen the doors.
“It just took us a bit to get to a place where we felt comfortable reopening Nick Fink's in the way that Comstock Park deserved to have it reopen,” said Dowdy.
When the bar does open, they will have a full menu and new themed cocktails that will honor the rich history of Nick Fink’s.
Dowdy said, “We like to take historic character, rich locations, and keep them that way, because that's how we preserve our history and our connection to the community.”
If you want to have one of their new cocktails in the Al Capone booth, Nick Fink’s Bar will reopen Monday Sept. 23, just in time for Comstock Park's homecoming.
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