There’s a new bar in town … sort of. It’s actually been around for almost six years, but celebrating its first anniversary this weekend.

I’m talking about Ploty’s Hometown Tavern, and everything I said above is accurate, if not confusing. Located at 27 West Main St., in the lower level behind Mozzeroni’s Pizza, Ploty’s originally opened in December 2017, owned by Eric Plotzker and his wife Kourtney. For a long time, the bar was one of my favorite hangouts. My friends and I would often meet there, especially on evenings when there was live music.

But over the years, the bar’s hometown atmosphere seemed to change from homey to … unpleasant. I can’t speak for everyone, but I became uncomfortable with the kind of patrons the bar was attracting, the conversations I was hearing around me, and the confrontational political statements hanging throughout the bar. After a while, I just stopped going.

Then I heard that last November, Eric had sold the bar to Charlene Napoletano, one of his bartenders. Curious to see if things had changed under the new ownership, I stopped in to check it out, and was very pleased with what I saw.

The “new” Ploty’s has still got the dart boards, digital jukebox and the large-screen TVs featuring sports most of the day. But the changes that Charlene HAS introduced have brought the vibe back to what Eric had originally envisioned: a comfortable, welcoming local tavern.

Charlene calls her pub a “boujie dive bar.” The “boujie” part comes from how she’s dressed it up with a brighter paint job, cozy lounge area, framed photos of entertainers, more pleasant restrooms, much nicer patio space and mixed drink specials. The “dive bar” part? Well, Ploty’s is still in a basement.

But even the drink selections have been upgraded. Charlene has doubled the number of beers on the menu, added some hard seltzers, a lot more liquors, and seven different wines.

On my recommendation, our Barry’s Runners settled there several weeks ago after our very first post-Barry’s-pub run. Since Barry’s has closed, we begin our runs at the gazebo on North Ave., and need a spot to socialize and raise a pint afterwards. Ploty’s is just steps away from the gazebo, so that was our first choice. The runners all loved the atmosphere, the outdoor patio, the cheap beer prices, and especially the free pizza Charlene had ordered from Mozzeroni’s. It’s become one of our favorite post-run spots.

So if you haven’t checked out Ploty’s recently, I recommend you stop in. This weekend would be a good time to do that. To celebrate the anniversary, from 9 p.m. to midnight on Friday Nov. 10 and Saturday Nov. 11, Charlene is offering a ONE-year anniversary special: buy ONE domestic draft or well cocktail, and get ONE free.

And by the way, don’t be worried if the name soon changes. Sometime in the near future, Charlene hopes to rechristen the bar “Charzbar,” to really put her stamp on it. But the same welcoming atmosphere will not be changing.

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(posted 11/9/2023)