Ole Town Tavern Celebrates 4 Years
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
"Our goal is to try to just get people downtown because it's just better for us all," stated Tony Butcher, owner of Ole Town Tavern, located at 26 N South Street. Tony shared the importance of working with other local businesses in downtown because "what's good for one [business] is good for all of us."
Tony was born and raised in Wilmington, graduating from both Wilmington High School and Wilmington College. While earning his master's degree at Xavier University, Tony worked part-time at Airborne Express in Wilmington and continued working there full-time after graduating. When his daughter started kindergarten, he no longer wanted to work nights, and began working at Technicolor, a company that distributed 35 millimeter films to movie theaters across the world.
After 26 years at Technicolor, the company relocated to California and Tony began buying rental properties. Despite "always joking" with his friends and family that he would like to open a bar, Tony originally bought 26 N South Street to rent out the apartment upstairs. Then, when the massage business below the apartment found another location, Tony thought,"If I'm ever going to do this, this is my time to try to get a bar going." He began working on the bar before he even created the bar's name. With the help of a local contractor, Tony crafted the environment for his desired atmosphere, showcasing the building's original brick wall, the previous jewelry store's refinished shelves, and vintage pictures of downtown Wilmington.
When creating the space, Tony was inspired by small bars in New York that he had previously visited while working for Technicolor. He stated, "I always thought if I ever had a bar, that's the type of bar I want. I want it to look old... with the idea of, if you walked in, you don't really know how old this bar is, even though it might've just opened in the last couple years."
While building the bar, Tony struggled to come up with a name. Then, one day, his brother sent him a shirt from a bar in Florida called "Old Town Tavern," with "welcome to OTT's place" on the back. This reminded Tony of his childhood nickname, "Ott," and he instantly felt that name "fits with the theme."
Ole Town Tavern (OTT) serves beer, wine, and signature local cocktails like, 'The Old Drunken Quaker,' and 'WHS Hurricane.' Patrons can order food delivered from Fiesta Veracruz Mexican Restaurant, and for $20 a year, even keep their own personalized pint glass on display behind the bar. Ole Town will celebrate its 4-year anniversary this month.
Listen to Tony's full story on episode 85 of the Real Change Wilmington podcast. Learn more about Ole Town Tavern at facebook.com/Oletowntavern.