Monarchs' Club, 646 Stocking Ave NW, Grand Rapids ~ 9/19/23
Housed in a historic 1893 structure, this is a delightful and comfortable bar that was established in 1925 as a speakeasy. The building began life as a drug store and there's a photo of it hanging in the bar. In 1985, the Wisla Shop (a gift shop) operated here and the owner, Mieczyslaw Szczepanczyk, later turned it into a Polish restaurant. According to Monarchs' Club facebook page, the space was reborn as a pub in 2007. An adjoining room/building used to operate as Rapinski's Deli, then Mercury Bar, and is now a pool room (Tuesdays are free pool nights). The impressive beer can collection belongs to the owner of the bar. This window looks into the bar. Here's the door leading to the pool room and the outdoor patio (where smoking is allowed). The bar is small but charming with its old wooden booths, writing on the walls, and unique decor. We were informed by our server, Kellen, that the skeleton was left behind by a then upstairs tenant, who also happened to be our serv...