Johnny's Irish Pub on Culver Road closing after 21 years

Will Cleveland | Democrat and Chronicle

Show Caption Hide Caption Johnny Irish's Pub closing next month The longtime Culver Road, which is known for live music and coordinating running events, will close its doors on Sept. 15, the owner announced.

When John Savino opened his bar in 1997, he was 36, unmarried, and thought he might run the establishment for five or so years.

Now it's 21 years later, Savino is married with two sons, and he said the time is right to walk away from Johnny's Irish Pub, a longtime staple in the Rochester live music, beer, and running scenes.

Savino said he has decided to close the North Winton Village neighborhood establishment on Sept. 15.

"Back then, 40 sounded old, and I’ve always had another job," Savino said Wednesday with a resigned chuckle. "My boys are getting older and getting more active in sports. It has just been too much on my plate for a lot of years."

He said he could have renewed his liquor license when it comes up for renewal next month, but felt this was the right time to walk away.

"There aren’t any tax liens. We’re not getting evicted. None of that," he said. "The liquor license is coming up in September and I’m going, ‘Do I want to do this for another couple of years?’"

"It’s been very rewarding to hear what an impact this place had on a lot of people," Savino added. "We tried to create a good, fun place. And we tried to do some good things in the community. We had a lot of races. We had a lot of music. It’s just been a good, fun place with good people."

The industry has changed, Savino said. The rise of craft breweries, especially with so many in the vicinity of his bar, has impacted his business, he said. They've tried to reinvent the business on a few occasions. Johnny's opened up as a smoke-free establishment before it became state law. The business added food and expanded its craft beer selections. Johnny's was known for its wonderful beer dinners. They've attempted to market to different crowds or different music genres.

"For the time and effort, I just don't see it getting better," Savino said. "Bluegrass Tuesdays was always like our young crowd. I ran down there last night and the bartender who had been doing it for 14 years was like, 'Even this crowd has gotten old.' It's been a great run. We're going to put our energy elsewhere."

Savino and his bar stepped in as lead sponsor of the former Shamrock Run in 1998. The race had just lost its lead sponsor. Johnny's sponsored the Johnny's Runnin' O the Green 5-miler for the past 20 years. It served as the start of the Rochester running calendar.

And as Savino noted in a 2013 interview, it's hard to go out in the community and not see those trademark green Johnny's shirts on the backs of race participants.

"I still have a lot of those shirts going back years, too," Savino said in 2013. "People wear them forever."

Savino rebooted the race with Bill Kehoe of CATS Athletic Club as race director. Savino ran the 1997 race with his then 71-year-old dad, and he didn't want to see the community tradition come to an end.

Savino estimated that he's sponsored 40 running events over the last 20 years.

The bar served as a meeting place for many different groups. (And Savino can rattle off the groups who met there and on what night of the month.) "It's been a nice gathering place for so many," he said.

The bar was also a haven for live music. Some weeks featured as many as five nights of music, and the establishment never asked for a cover charge. It was another way to give back to the community, Savino said. "I probably erred on the side of being too generous," Savino offered with a laugh.

Mondays were open-mike night. Tuesdays were for bluegrass. Wednesdays often featured the Dady Brothers. And so on and so forth.

Rochester resident Dan Walpole started attending bluegrass nights at Johnny's 12 years ago. And during that time, he has made countless friends, formed lasting bonds, and even met his girlfriend of four years.

"I’ve made more friends than I can count," Walpole said. "We go to musical festivals together. We have gone to each other’s weddings and those kind of things. That location, the people there, and the music they cultivated, it’s something special. And I’m really only talking from the perspective of bluegrass Tuesdays."

Walpole said he has met the people who helped him form three different bands, including the Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers.

"It’s always been a really tightknit community and a welcoming community as well," Walpole said. "It’s just filled with really nice people."

Walpole said the heart of that community is Savino. He called Savino "a really nice guy with a big heart."

Savino will miss those interactions. But he knows that many of those customers who became friends over the last 21 years, they'll remain a part of his life.

"This is the right thing to do, at the right time," Savino said. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family."

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com