A Sarasota bar that has been open for more than half a century at its current location will soon shut its doors.
Nick's Bar at 4459 Bee Ridge Road has been sold and will close sometime this weekend, owner David Monda said when reached by phone the morning of Monday, Oct. 5. He wasn't sure which day will be the final one, but "by the end of this weekend, we will definitely be done."
Monda also said he doesn't know what the new owner's plans for the property are, but has been told the building will be torn down, and believes what opens there will not be another bar.
What is the history of Nick's Bar?
Originally owned by Monda's father, Nick,
and previously located near Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the bar has operated at its Bee Ridge Road location since Christmas of 1972, said Monda, who began working there himself in 1977.
“I’ve been here 49 years, looking out of the same window," Monda said. "It’s been a long time, two days after my 18th birthday."
Nick's Bar ranks among the oldest operating watering holes in the Sarasota area along with downtown's Gator Club, the North Trail's Bahi Hut and Memories Lounge, Siesta Key's Crescent Club and Beach Club, and fellow Bee Ridge Road establishment Red Barn Bar. Red Barn shared a photo to social media of its outdoor sign with a message of support for Nick's Bar, reading "It's been a pleasure pouring alongside of you for over 50 years."
Along with being one of Sarasota's longest operating bars in terms of years, Nick's Bar also has some of the longest hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. When the bar closed for Hurricane Irma in 2017, it was such a rare occurrence that a Herald-Tribune reporter visited for a feature, where one patron remarked, “As long as I’ve been legally allowed to drink, I’ve never seen it closed two days in a row.”
"There's just a lot of good memories over the years, a lot of good people," Monda said. "There's a couple of them still left that were here when I started, they're still here. They’re on their last leg, but it’s been a long, wild ride, I can tell you that much."
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: One of Sarasota’s oldest bars is closing after more than 50 years
