LANSING — The building at 327 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. has been a bar for nearly a century. For nearly half that time, it’s been known as The Unicorn.
Longtime owner Tommy Malvetis gave it the name in 1984, six years after he purchased it. Previously, the business was the Shamrock bar. Renaming it after the mythical animal was Malvetis’ attempt to discourage rowdy crowds from frequenting his bar.
The Old Town staple has previously been The Unicorn Tavern and the Unicorn Lounge. It underwent a massive makeover in 2017, then closed during the pandemic. When it reopens in July, it will be known as The Unicorn Bar.
Adding the designation “bar” to the title means something to its new owners, Bob Fata and Ashley Sevenski.
“Welcoming, not over the top, just a bar because the people and the staff are what make the bar,” Sevenski, 41, said. “That’s what it was when Tommy had it so we’re focusing on that.”
She’s been working at family restaurants and bars since she was a teenager and grew up not far from the bar. Fata has operated bars for years and currently owns Westgate Tavern & Grill in Lansing.
Bringing The Unicorn back to life was an opportunity to revive a piece of history, but it’s also a chance to give back to the community, he said. The pair plans to offer live music and entertainment in a comfortable space, Fata said.
“I think Lansing is looking for something to do in the evenings,” he said. “It’s being able to go come in and sit down and have a pop or a beer and break the walk up and have a little conversation.”
Bringing it ‘back to life’
Before Malvetis died in 2016 at 94, Sevenski remembers the Old Town bar as “welcoming.”
Then in 2017 Lansing-based development company The Gillespie Group bought the property and spent 72 hours giving it a facelift complete with an updated new sound system, unique design elements and new flooring, windows, paint, lights, furniture, a back bar area and enhanced bathrooms.
When it reopened as The Unicorn Lounge, Sevenski said visiting it was always a good time.
“It was well taken care of,” she said. “The Gillespies did a very good job updating it. I really enjoy live bands so me and my girlfriends would go to girls’ nights and stuff and just pop in there and stuff.”
For Sevenski, overseeing the bar’s newest chapter helps her fulfill a goal she’s had for nearly two decades, to run her own neighborhood bar.
“I just feel like it’s kind of ingrained in my personality with people,” she said. “I’m a people person. I love the people, the interactions, there’s something different every day. You grow close with your regulars and they just become family.”
Sevenski and Fata both want to create an environment where those relationships can flourish.
“We’re trying to bring it back to life to where it used to be, where people can come in and have a beer and have some conversation and then have some good laughs and go on with their day,” Fata said.
The pair are leasing the property from the Gillespies and have been hard at work getting it ready to reopen. They already have a liquor license and are preparing to go through inspections, Sevenski said.
“We’re going through the right avenues to do it the right way before we have an opening date,” she said.
The hope to open the doors sometime in July.
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An ‘overwhelming’ response
When it reopens The Unicorn Bar will offer seating for nearly 100 people and regular live entertainment. That will start with hosting bands a few nights a week, Fata said.
The bar will serve liquor, beer, mixed drinks, wine and an assortment of high-end scotch and other liquors, Sevenski said. There will also be the typical pub snacks, including popcorn, peanuts and chips, she said.
A staff of about half a dozen people are already in place but ownership may hire additional employees after the bar opens, Sevenski said.
A post to the bar’s Facebook page in June announcing the impending reopening has garnered nearly 500 likes and 80 shares.
The response has been “just overwhelming,” Sevenski said. “We’re so grateful for the support and the excitement.”
“Everybody’s pretty excited,” Fata said.
“I hope Tommy would be proud,” Sevenski said.
Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Old Town’s Unicorn Bar in Lansing coming ‘back to life’ with reopening
Reporting by Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
