NORWAY — A month and a half after Tucker’s Music Pub shut down, a former resident of the Oxford Hills region is looking to give it new life.
Planning Board Chairman Dennis Gray said that during the board’s Thursday evening meeting, Ryan Ricci came before the board to ask if there would be any objections to him looking into reopening Tucker’s Music Pub.
Tucker’s was owned and operated by Al and Anne Mallory from 2011 to Oct. 31, 2016.
Al Mallory, who with his late wife helped attract bands to perform at the pub, said that they opened the pub as a way of providing a place for local musicians to perform music.
In October, Mallory said that “everything runs its course and has to come to an end eventually.”
Gray said that Ricci told the Planning Board that he was in discussions with the owner of the building at 290 Main St. about the possibility of leasing the space and reopening the pub.
“We indicated to Ryan that since reopening the pub wouldn’t be a change in use, there was no reason we could see why he couldn’t do it,” Gray said. “I know that he’s looking at some minor changes, such as extending the hours some and having a large-screen TV for sporting events.”
Gray said that Ricci would also want to take out some of the infrastructure to create more space.
He added that no permit application has been filed, and that Ricci is in the preliminary stages of discussion.
“He said that he used to live in the area and was interested in maybe coming back and reopening that pub,” Gray said.
Tucker’s is the fourth business to operate out of the building on 290 Main St. since 1894. Tucker Harness Shop, V.H. Ashton Co. and Grassroots Graphics were the three predecessors.
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