Pickled Spirits
Written by Glen Hughes on April 7th, 2009 3 Comments
About a month ago, we heard and reported on some rumors that Spirits existence was in a state of flux. The rumors were vehemently denied, despite some events being canceled. And yet, over the past few weeks Spirits has remained super low key. There have been barley any signs of life on the inside, the front patio remains scarce even when other establishments with outdoor seating whipped out their table and chairs as soon as the last bit of snow had melted.
Last week our friends at Build Guild sent out a notice via Twitter:
Just received word that Spirits is about to be purchased by the owner(s) of the Pickled Onion. I spoke with a gentleman who said they’re excited to honor the Build Guild’s schedule/routine. April’s event is still on, May’s and/or June’s will be determined later.
So what the heck is going on?
According the the Salem News, Peter Kelly, owner of the Pickled Onion in Beverly, is indeed in the process of purchasing the former Spirits location (which is the former Roosevelt’s location) to open up an Irish pub called Murphy’s. The menu and entertainment style would be similar to the Onion, affordable pub food with music at night and traditional Irish music on weekends. The optimistic opening date would be in May.
This past weekend I heard that Murphy’s has already contacted some DJ’s in the area and are planning an open mic night as-well-as a Karaoke night. There was much speculation but either way the local talent is looking for a venue and are hoping Murphy’s will be more receptive than Spirits.
We here at the Insider think the layout and location at 300 Derby St. has way too much potential not to be a major player in the restaurant/night life scene here in Salem, and welcome a pub owner that can make it a success. Many thanks to our friends over at Spirits and lets all hope the residents at Derby Lofts will take a chill pill and let Murphy’s do the best job they can.
3 Responses to “Pickled Spirits”
Leave a Comment
Related Posts
It is a wonderful thing that a new owner is coming to this establishment.
I am very excited to hear the possibilities of expanded nightlife in Salem. I hope that I will be able to work with Mr. Kelly in the future.
To the new owners: Please invest in a decent sound system to accomodate bands. We need this! It will pay for itself, and there’s quite a few people willing to help design it…
So excited. It will make for better summer trips up to the n shore.