- For 11 years, The Irish Pub in Lansing had been closed.
- Tuesday, the city welcomed the pub back as owners opened doors for the first time to the public
- Video shows the inside of the pub and neighbors' reactions.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I’m your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here in Lansing. After being closed for 11 years, a Lansing favorite has opened its doors once again.
It’s a place where many neighbors made their favorite memories...
"Every St. Patrick's Day, I was in here," said Resident Alex Hernandez.
"I was a little shortie about this tall, and I remember coming here for trick-or-treating," said Angel Boshea.
Even memories of how this pub looked years ago...
"They had that creepy leprechaun in the window!" said Dina Maneval.
After being closed for 11 years, the Irish Pub opened its doors to the public for the first time.
"This isn't a destination; it's a journey," said Partner, Brian Leyrer.
Brian Leyrer is one of three owners who played a part in bringing the restaurant back to life. He says that when it shut down almost a decade ago, they saw it as an opportunity when they placed a bid on the pub.
"Dave got a call about 11 o'clock that night and said, 'Hey, we just bought a bar.'" said Leyrer.
As the group worked on the pub, the public began to talk about its return, something that Leyrer says makes the pub’s return that much better.
"The community has just been anxiously waiting for this to happen," said Leyrer.
Now that the pub is officially open, Mayor Andy Schor says his hope is to see the business thrive for many years.
"This is a community staple that has been shut down for a decade. And here we are, back open. This is exciting; this is everything we're talking about with the vibrancy of Lansing, and this is going to grow Lansing," said Schor.
The Irish Pub is now open to the public Monday through Sunday, ready to serve the Lansing area once again.
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