By Chad Neal
The unique bar and restaurant that started the “Sunday Fundays” on the north end of the village of Ellicottville is getting revamped. The exciting Mill St. tap room was a great spot for sports bar enthusiasts and many others who visited and frequented the joint. Now we will see a new place arise – kind of like the old place, but with new owners that are extremely excited to open up as Mill St. Sports Pub. Partners Brenda Smith and Audrey Snow are bringing their collective years of experience and love for the business to rejuvenate the Bills Backer institution started as Finnerty’s. The Villager caught up with the two entrepreneurs and learned more about their plans for the new spot.
Audrey Snow shared that since August of this year she “came on board” with Brenda Smith. Smith had been working on figuring a way to make a new great establishment in the venue for months. They both had dreams about making it a place of their own when they heard the news that the previous owners were moving on. Smith found the connections she needed to “make it a reality”. With over fifty years experience between the two, (at many places in Ellicottville alone) Smith and Snow have a pretty good idea of how to make Mill St. Sports Pub a successful and popular spot to eat, drink and watch your favorite sports amongst other fun events. Snow has local and cross country experience at events like the Kentucky Derby and US Open in Boston. And her description of Smith as “bringing her wealth of experience” and being a “go getter who isn’t too afraid of hard work”, makes this team perfect for this endeavor.
When asked about the staff they would have Snow answered, “You will see some old faces along with some new ones when we reopen. Some of the past employees have moved on to other places, but have told us they can’t wait to come back as a customer.”
Before they had a chance to reveal their news to anyone locally, news outlets in Buffalo caught word and told the world. Snow explained, “We had been keeping things a little quiet about opening, we really wanted to get our work done and concentrate on out planning before we made any announcements and make sure we dotted our i’s and crossed out t’s. This is our first bar and restaurant and we really want to make sure we do it right.”
They plan on a mid-December opening unless there are delays from licensing and state approval. “Once we have that date, we will have a Grand Opening and hopefully it will coincide with a Bills game to make sure we do it Bills Mafia Style!” Snow said, then added, “The food will be Pub fare with a home cooked specials.”
The plan and dream is to bring back something Ellicottville loved and lost in a short span of time. “We would like to be able to bring back the vibe Billy and Freddy had there when it was Finnertys, that feeling of fun, family and the Buffalo Bills.” Snow expressed, “They really made it special for everyone who stepped through the door and we are hoping that we can bring that feeling back. Our goal is to make it ours, but keep a little of that magic. It will look a little different, but you can be sure that it will still feel a little bit like coming home too. We have plans for live music, trivia, karaoke possibly, and a fun place to watch the game. We might even see Asian night come back.”
An exciting reunion to a new/ old place that looks as though it will be appreciated immensely by locals and visitors alike. They have a Facebook page up and running and they say to look it up to look for announcements of the opening, event and hiring. Go Bills!
Caption: From L-R Audrey Snow, Heather D., Caylin M., Brenda Smith & Avery S.