Good news, Old Portland. Those rumors youâve been hearing (and possibly spreading) are untrueânamely that the building housing the SE Belmont dive, Haniganâs Tavern, lovingly known as The Vern, will not be reimagined as some redeveloped multi-story condo building.
According to Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeaultâthe duo behind Gold Dust Meridian, the Lay Low, and the Elvis Room to name just a fewâthe building will be saved along with (thanks to them and the building owner) Haniganâs, which Boothby says should open up early next year.
âWe used to hang out at there a lot 20 years ago, and we want it to feel like home again for those who remember it as a place where you could be super comfortable and that wasnât pretentious,â Boothby says.
When he and Archambeault take possession of the space in January, theyâll spend the next couple of months doctoring up the place by adding more vintage furniture and ephemera, including bottles from his and Archambeaultâs vintage booze collection.
Itâs still too early to say what their revamped menu will look like, but Boothby says theyâll try to mirror the menus at their other bars and restaurants by keeping drinks and dishes âquality, local, and affordable.â
The things that wonât change are the pool tables and pinball machines. Theyâll stay, as will the long-neglected neon sign that once flashed âVERNâ after a decades-old auto accident 86d the âTAâ in âTAVERN.â
The things that will change? Boothby says Haniganâs will soon live under the banner The Vern, and plans are in place to give that old neon Vern sign some new glow again.
When it opens at 2622 SE Belmont, The Vern will likely keep the regular daily hours of 2 pm to 2:30 am.
Stay tuned for future Vern developments.