Benton Harbor restaurant gets makeover before Senior PGA Tour
Posted: Feb 9, 2012 10:10 PM EDT | Updated: Nov 5, 2014 6:24 PM EDT
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - A downtown Benton Harbor staple is revamping and renaming itself in preparation for the Senior PGA Tour in May.
Pauley’s Bar on Territorial Drive reopened Thursday under the new name the Library Pub and Eatery. The restaurant had been closed for about a week while renovations were being completed inside.
“It was fine with what it was before, we just took it a step further,” said Jim Allen, owner of the Library. Allen bought the business in August and said the pub needed to change with the rest of the neighborhood.
The Library is in Benton Harbor’s Arts District and near the construction site for Whirlpool’s new downtown campus.
The restaurant also sits just a few blocks from the edge of Harbor Shores Golf Course. “They’re expecting (thousands of) people here just to watch the tournament,” said Allen. “We pretty much changed everything.”
To help appeal to the travelling audience the Library upgraded the interior of the building and leveled the menu. Known as a burger and beer spot, the Library now offers an upscale menu.
Allen hopes the new restaurant and arts district attract visitors to come back after the PGA Tour. “There’ll be a lot of people being exposed to the arts district (and they’ll see) what this is all about,” he said “We hope they help us grow down here.”