Reggie’s is re-opening

An iconic downtown bar is poised to push the re-start button on Sept. 1.

With new operator Randy Lapossie at the helm, Reggie’s Place Tavern — located just past March Street on Queen Street E. in the Sault’s downtown– has a sign on one of its front windows that is signalling the Sept. 1 re-opening.

It will mark a new chapter for the local watering hole which had become a popular gathering place for folks of all ages and many walks of life for well over 25 years under previous operator Reggie Daigle.

It has been a tough few years for the downtown landmark, which first closed on July 30, 2017 when a fire that started upstairs caused considerable damage to the upper level of Reggie’s.

Then, after finally re-opening on June 3, 2019, it wasn’t very long before an illness in the family led to Reggie’s again having to close its doors.

Then came a province wide shutdown relative to COVID-19 in March of this year that kept Reggie’s closed.

But now, in less than two weeks, Reggie’s is set to re-open on its familiar downtown site.

Work has been ongoing inside the building and at the back of it as new operator Lapossie has been sprucing up Reggie’s ahead of the planned Sept. 1 re-opening.

Daigle, as the previous owner, celebrated 25 years in business in June of 2015. The bar was previously known as the Central Hotel and it carried a bad reputation.

Daigle re-named the bar Reggie’s Place Tavern — opening it on June 4, 1990 — and through hard work and determination, helped transform it into a nice, clean, well run gathering spot.

Once Reggie’s re-opens, the Sault’s downtown will again be home to two venerable watering holes located within two blocks of one another.

The other establishment, the New A Pub, is located on the corner of Brock and Bay streets.