The last time we looked at 20th & Bainbridge, we had just heard plans that a long-vacant building at 702 S. 20th St. would be demolished and replaced with a duplex. Next door to this project, which looks like it's nearly finished, is Robert's Twi-Lite Lounge, a corner bar that's been around for decades. Some years ago these were issues between the business and near neighbors, but that's settled down as far as we know. Even so, the bar has been available for sale for quite some time with an asking price that's been impossible for anyone to meet. Until now, that is.

In the past

Current view

Last week, a thread on Facebook gave us an indication that the building was under agreement and that the bar would soon close its doors. The property is currently listed as being under agreement with a list price of $700K, though we don't know what the actual sale price will be (hint, lower than $700K). On Reddit, someone suggested that the new operators will be the owners of Loco Pez in Fishtown. We did some poking around on the LCB website, and the address of the company that's getting the liquor license does indeed track back to Loco Pez. When we called the restaurant, we got someone on the phone who had no idea what we were talking about, which isn't such a shock considering it wasn't one of the owners.

So now we're left with a raft of questions about what comes next. Will the future owners simply renovate the existing bar or demolish it and start over? Assuming that it is indeed the owners of Loco Pez taking over this space, will they open a second Loco Pez location or go with a different concept? Will neighbors who battled with the Twi-Light Lounge management appreciate the change? Or will a more popular new business actually make for a worse neighbor? All of these questions will be answered in due time. Meanwhile, since it seems that the current place only has a couple more months to go, we suggest you go for a visit soon, for old time's sake.