Mill Street Sports Pub
Miracle on Mill Street in Ellicottville

By Chad Neal

   Ellicottville was blessed almost a decade ago with the presence of a new business owner and mega Bills fan. Billy Finnerty who opened up Finnerty’s Tap Room at 5 East Washington St. at the end of 2016 and the place was a hit. After some ups and downs with life and business he has returned to the same spot now owned by Brenda Smith and Audrey Snow called Mill St. Sports Pub. The Villager got in touch with Finnerty and asked him about the few years from when he opened and had to close, his return, and the in-betweens as well.

   Finnerty’s opened the day after Christmas in 2016, like Mill St. Sports Pub which opened this past week. “Was a slow climb learning the building,” Finnerty recalled when asked about the introduction of the new restaurant in the village, “but more importantly learning the present vibe of Ellicottville.” 

  Finnerty went on to exclaim, “The people who live in Ellicottville are some of the most beautiful souls in the world, earning their trust and support quickly became my goal. Our opening coincided with the hiring of Sean McDermott and this amazing run the Bills have been on. The Bills unite everyone, Democrats and Republicans, old and young, and the sense of community it brings is something I’ve always strived for. From my days at JP Fitzgerald’s in Hamburg that started on June 17, 1994 (OJ White Bronco chase) until now, I’ve had 30 years of hope to see what would happen if we climbed the summit together! As a Bills fan, I KNOW THIS IS THE YEAR!”

       Things weren’t going the way he hoped after Covid and other things impacting him, so Finnerty had to make some choices. “I made the mistake back in 2021, even considering the sale of Finnerty’s, without turning over every stone for myself, one that I quickly came to regret and ended with us not selling our name to the purchaser. The business that we worked so hard on establishing quickly collapsed under this person’s leadership and a dark cloud settled over the building.

    Yet, while all this was happening, there was still a glimmer of hope. Her name was Brenda Smith. She did everything she could do to keep it afloat and keep people employed under these horrible conditions. Well finally, the business ended without almost anyone knowing.” he said.

After his reluctant departure from Ellicottville to pursue possible new endeavors, Finnerty said he kept in touch with Brenda and Audrey when he “caught wind of their plan to revive that building and to bring the good vibes back to Mill Street! Working with the building owner, who has been amazing with all his help and resources, they have performed a Miracle on Mill Street.”

   The opening of Mill St. Sports Pub is making a definite impact and is being talked about in the local circles around town and making a lot of people happy, including the visitors who came to fall in love with the vibe of Finnerty’s. Since the reopening of the restaurant and bar, a satisfaction has arisen. Finnerty capped The Villager interview asserting, “They offered me a chance to come back to a town I love! It was an offer I couldn’t refuse! I’m also enjoying focusing on the community and customer relations as well as bartending Fridays and Sundays! And of course, all Bills Games! I’m going to do everything in my power to make them successful while maintaining my amazing life at home with my beautiful wife Beth and two pups Maltipoo Martini “Milano” and St. Bernard “Betty”. I look forward to bringing the pups to Ellicottville for some amazing times as they both have arrived on the scene since we left in 2021.”

   This news will make many fans of Billy’s excited and the narrative of the business has seemed to come full circle. The Mill St. Sports Pub promises to take the legacy Finnerty instituted and keep the fire alive as one of the great places in town to enjoy the Buffalo Bills on their march to the top this year and many years to come. Stop in and see Billy when you have a chance and enjoy the new/ old atmosphere of the place.