This downtown Wichita bar closed 7 months ago. Now, a former regular is bringing it back
When the bar Peerless closed suddenly in March at 919 E. Douglas, it wasn’t suffering.
In fact, says Cody Lonergan — one of the people who worked at the bar until the day it closed because of a rent dispute between the landlord and former owner — it had caught on and had lots of regulars who loved its straight-forward “just-a-bar” approach.
Now, Lonergan is able to share good news with his former coworkers and customers: Peerless is coming back. But it will have new ownership.
Brothers Mario and Marcello Venegas have taken over the space where Peerless operated from 2016 until it closed, and they’ve worked out a deal with former owner Travis Hatfield to use the bar’s old name.
“At the heart of it, it’s going to be exactly the same, maybe just aesthetically more pleasing,” Lonergan said.
Lonergan met Mario Venegas — a tattoo artist at nearby Elektrik Chair Tattoo — when he would frequent the former Peerless, he said. The two started talking about how much they missed the bar, which was slated to get a new tenant. The owners of Heroes and 6 Degrees had announced in April that they planned to open Alibi Pizza in the space, and they’d even put up a fancy new sign.
But then, several weeks ago, a “for rent” sign appeared in the window, and the Venegas brothers learned that the Alibi owners had changed their minds. The brothers formed a plan to revive Peerless and to hire Lonergan, whose resume includes stints at Dempsey’s, Wave and Central Standard Brewing, to run it.
Lonergan is planning to bring back most of the crew who was working at Peerless when it closed, he said. Hatfield also gave the new owners back several pieces of the bar’s original decor, including a Jameson sign made out of bottle caps, a big chandelier that hung just inside the front doors and several of the original high-top tables.
The new Peerless will have the popular ping pong table in the back that the original did, but it will have two pool tables up front instead of one. It’ll serve a similar bar menu and will have five taps for beer, plus cocktail specials. Lonergan said he’s hoping to offer a daily special on Miller High Life, too, which was one of the attractions previous customers loved.
The wooden booths that used to occupy Peerless are gone and replaced with a couple of high, long tables. The owners also got new lighting, new bar stools and new sets of couches, coffee tables and comfy chairs.
The new bar will also have a jukebox, but the owners aren’t sure about live music. Because of upstairs apartments, they’ve been told they can’t have loud live bands like the original Peerless did, but they may add a small stage where acoustic and jazz acts can perform.
Peerless will have bar snacks but no food menu. Mario Venegas also has added a new mascot on the front wall: a stuffed, big horned goat which can be seen by those passing by on Douglas.
“We want it to be an intimate lounge anyone will feel comfortable with,” Lonergan said.
The new owners have already replaced the Peerless sign on the front and back windows. They’ll open on Nov. 1 followed by a big Dia De Los Muertos party on Nov. 2.
Once open, the hours will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.
This story was originally published October 18, 2019 at 5:01 AM.
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