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Coming Soon, The Fenix

For those of you who have been looking for a more upscale drinking experience, you may soon have your wish. Coming later this summer will be The Fenix, "Phoenixville's Only Martini & Whiskey Bar". The Fenix is owned by the same people who run Molly Maguire's and will be located right next door, at 193 Bridge Street.

There is a website setup at thefenixbar.com but there isn't a whole lot there just yet.

Update 7/6: Reader Pete L. was able to confirm that the Molly Maguire folks are planning to open the Fenix at the end of August. Thanks Pete!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Excellent! This will definitely class Phoenixville up. Hopefully they have a solid dress code though to keep your typical local docals out. This is very exciting news though!
Anonymous said…
I doubt the locals are drinking martinis, so that shouldn't be a problem. Molly Maguires and Iron Hill have the right idea, keep the beer prices a little higher to keep the riff raff out.
Laura Lathan said…
Wow! As a lifelong local I'm sad to find out that the new bars/restaurants are not for me. Thank you anonymous and anonymous...I'll be sure to stop taking up space in these places. Sorry about that township folk! I will also stop drinking martinis, I was not told they are above me.
Anonymous said…
I agree with you Laura. Although I'm sure we all share the same sentiment and thoughts that diversity is what makes our town special. There is enough for everyone and not all bars/restaurants are for everyone to share. Laura, you are more than welcome (thats obvious) as I'm sure you experience great things when you attend any local establishments. The funny part is that I'm guessing these folks live in Phoenixville (hence they are locals) and they are calling other people "local docals" and other derogatory remarks when they themselves are one in the same. If you don't consider yourself "local" (a Phoenixvillle resident) then maybe you should take the bus out of our local town. You wouldn't be missed since you probably add nothing to the color of Phoenixville. Bye Bye!
Anonymous said…
We've lived in the boro since '99, so I guess by now I qualify as a local.

I think the point being made is that pretty much all of the establishments going in on Bridge St. are aimed at white collar folks with white collar budgets. While this may seem exclusionary, I still prefer this trend over having places like the Phoenix Tavern.

Places now are aimed at upper middle class folks living in the borough and the surrounding townships, and don't forget everyone who works up the road at Glaxo, Wyeth, and Quest or down the road at Vanguard and all of the other places in Great Valley.

You can complain about this but when we had business just aimed at boro folks, Bridge St. was only just a shade nicer than Main St. in Norristown.
Anonymous said…
I agree with the "white collar" observation and I have been a local since 2001 but I don't feel excluded. There are some great activities at some of these bars like Wednesday night quizzo at Molly's which is really awesome and everyone in there is local (or at least most since I recognize them. You don't even have to drink or if you do you can just have a couple and its an inexpensive fun evening for us locals. Mr Docal needs to jump on the 99 bus and leave town. See ya! Have a great trip.
Chazzey said…
Oh wow , another bar,with martinis?What is this drink , sounds like something that only the royals drink.There was one that was with gin and vermounth. But that cant be it. They used to drink them down at the Phoeix.Hey sounds like it wont get you drunk.NOW THAT WOULD BE GOOD.Why do they want all these bars down town.White class , it that what yall call it now?
Anonymous said…
based on the bad grammar and lousy sentence structure in your above post, I'm thinking you're one of the people this bar is NOT aimed at...
Anonymous said…
Say what you want, Laura, but Phoenixville does not have a reputation as the classiest town / people. It's no Radnor, Haverford, etc. Get over yourself. Obviously you haven't gone for a walk / drive along the streets behind Bridge Street where it's a dangerous, dirty part of town. Martini bars class up the place. They're for classy people. Not those dirtbags who still are giving this town a bad rap. I live in this town and sometimes I am embarrased to say I'm from Phoenixville. But things like martini bars and 101 Bridge make me feel prouder. We still have a ways to go. And your 'get on the bus! Bye' attitude isn't helping class it up either.
Anonymous said…
I've lived here since 2005, so obviously I'm from Phoenixville. But I'm not a local docal since I haven't been here all my life. A job brought me to town and I have enjoyed it the whole time. These improvements are a great thing for this town. But it's people like me who are making this town better. Better education, white collar jobs, etc. And with all the improvements that are taking place, more people like me will move here and commute to Collegeville, to Malvern, to Oaks, etc. Hopefully we will one day drive the riff ratt out. At least now most of them are restricted to Tyler James and the Moon Saloon.
Anonymous said…
Mr 2005 you sound like a well educated person (as am I) but I have to tell you I disagree with your opinion. I am all for upgrading the town and the folks that live in town but not to the point of complete gentrification which is boring. I like the color of the town as it adds an element that keeps our town edgy and less desirable for people just looking for the next great place to live as long as it looks like whole milk. I do respect your sentiment but picking on Moon Saloon (which can be a good business) and Tyler James is not the route to follow. Tylers is not 101 or Iron Hill or Molly's and thats what good because I like the mix. Please tell me you don't want complete whole milk for a town?
Anonymous said…
Mr. Milk, the Moon Saloon and Tyler James are good because they keep a certain clientele out of the finer establishments, like The Fenix and Iron Hill. They serve their purpose just fine. I like diversity just as much as anyone, but you can't tell me that it would be a good thing for the town to get rid of that section of Bridge Street from the Enterprise Car rental shop all the way to the Moon Saloon. I like color as much as you do. But get THAT color out of here and put some nicer housing and / or businesses there that will contribute to the growth of this town.

BTW, on a different subject ... anyone know what's happening with the supposed Starbucks opening on the corner of Nutt and Bridge? A sign is now out there saying "Join Walgreens ... " Is SBUX no longer filling that building??

Mr. 2005
Anonymous said…
Obvious typo in my last message.

" ... but you can't tell me that it would be a good thing for the town to get rid of ... "

Change "good" to "bad".

Mr. 2005
Laura Lathan said…
Ummm okay so no one gets sarcasm. (Now that's classy!)

I originally assumed that the first two anonymous commenters were not careful with their words. Apparently, the sentiment is real and shared by many.

As a North Sider - not living in a new development - I'm a bit sensitive to the townshippers and others painting us with one broad stroke. I am educated, I don't break laws and my husband and I are raising happy, healthy children. We choose to do so here in the town where I grew up. More specifically in a heterogeneous neighborhood. (AKA "dangerous and dirty")

As clarification I was not the one to suggest anyone get on a bus. As a matter of fact, I'm happy to share my town with anyone who wants to be here but not if you'll only share it with people who are of the same socioeconomic rank. It's folks with that attitude who cause some of the fear of change in a town like this one.

However, if you're embarrassed to say you live in Pville then perhaps you belong in Radnor or Haverford. While I appreciate them for what they are, I certainly hope we never turn into a mirror image of either.

FYI - Suggesting an entire swath of a street be razed because it doesn't appeal to your aesthetic is the exact opposite of "classy" which seems to be your only goal.
Anonymous said…
Mr 2005, Starbucks deal is off the table since they are experiencing hardships with over growth combined with a poor economy.

On the other subject of purifying our town I don't agree with you and your sentiment. I share your desire to bring in the best businesses possible to make our town an awesome place for everyone to spend time.

But you continue to target two bars that really are not that bad. If you have ever been to Tylers then you'd know the food is actually pretty good and Steve has done a great job changing the luck of prior businesses that have started in that space.

The Moon Saloon is not my kind of bar but I have been in and the owners (a young girl and her Mother) are just busting their butts to try and pursue their dream. You may not agree with the business model but you have to respect the risk and willingness to pursue their goals.

I also share your vision of having great residents living in town (I think about 90% of the people living here are good folks). But we all know that is not possible to get rid of all of the bad eggs. I also don't think the bad eggs that are in P-ville are necessarily hanging out at Tylers or Moon Saloon.

I don't think you mean to but you are offending a lot of good people that grew up in Pville and now feel that they are not welcomed because they are not "milky" enough for other folks. I also know that bad eggs reach across all spectrums of life and socioeconomic definitions. Maybe I'm wrong - I hope not.
Anonymous said…
I grew up in Pville so I seen a lot of crazy things in this town. First of all, the Moon Saloon has police that patrol it in the back for drug dealers who sell by the pool tables, so you can read into that any way you would like.

It's no longer there, but the Cloud 9 bar, I remember one time going to the men's room and seeing two girls doing lines of coke on the sink.

Like I said, there are good places and bad places to go in every town. There are still elements of trashy/seedy/whatever you may call it in this area, so don't pretend it's not there, I think that's what some people are trying to say as some people are jumping down their throats. Yes, Pville has came a long way and it's good, but there are certain people still around who aren't very "classy."

Believe it or not there are "working girls" even in Pville still.
Anonymous said…
True there are good and bad places in every town but any one of our bars is no different than Reeds Bar in Blue Bell, Pa. The Moon Saloon is not seedy or shady, its just a little less polished than Molly's or Iron Hill because of the lower budget and the younger crowd they draw. Come on now, this isn't LoJo's or The Phoenix Tavern we have here, it's just not your (or mine for that matter) scene but it doesn't make it seedy or unsafe.

Now, as far as Mr. Purify goes he's completely wrong. He mentions the trend towards the Glaxo, Wyeth and other business institutions in this area that are helping to increase the vision of our town (aka "white collar). But he fails to mention the blue collar folks that will be a part of this town forever such as the people who clean the streets, and trash removal. These jobs are no less important (and can be argued even more important) than those jobs at Vanguard, Wyeth, Glaxo or wherever.

So that's why you have options my friend. Enjoy your options instead of trying to purify a town that is and always will be "blue collar". Just for the record I have a "white collar" job but grew up in a household with two parents that worked in factories in steel work and paper mills.

Let me stress that I do agree that we should get rid of as many of the bad elements in our town as possible but I just don't see these 2 bars as being those "bad" elements. I think we should concentrate on the people that loiter in our downtown in packs just hanging out on corners. That makes our town look seedy and unwelcoming - NOT Tyler James Pub.
Anonymous said…
I completely agree with the above because where would we be without any of our street services or maintenance services provided by taxes. Imagine if your sewer were not serviced or trash not picked up, or the streets not cleaned and trees/parks not kept. No "white collar" people are gonna do this stuff - now would ya?. - No I didn't think so. So next time you care to gentrify your community to the point of sterilization please consider all the jobs that you would never want to perform and how miserable your life would be without them. On the other hand if Wyeth or any other business institution left (although we'd feel the pinch) the town would move on and thrive again with or without these "white collar" institutions. But without our services, well, lets just say we'd be up s___ creek.
Anonymous said…
Hey Alan Greenspan, whose tax dollars do you think pay the salaries of these trash collectors and park maintenance people? More and more it's the people dropping $100 on dinner at 101 Bridge or Majolica, and most of these people do NOT live in Phoenixville. That's OK though, I am more than happy to have them generate tax revenue for us to have better schools and nicer parks.

Phoenixville is a long way from being gentrified, walk along High St. at 11pm if you don't believe me. We should be happy that things are getting nicer - ten years ago we had the Phoenix Tavern and a video rental/mattress store on Bridge Street, do you really want to go back to that?
Anonymous said…
Like I said"Mr Hey Alan Greenspan" we may feel the pinch in a situation like that but we would survive (just as it did in the past). But without our services we would crumble as a town. Go back to economics class and pay attention. You think folks buying dinners (even at Majolica prices - which I love) for 11 tables and 2 servings a night is paying for our tax bills that cover our services? OK genius, I guess us Phoenixvillians taxes are sooo low that it would cover that measly bill.

I also realize that P-ville will never be completely gentrified but if were up to folks like you we would look like "you" (boring). If you think P-ville is soo bad then don't come here and eat and drink. If you live here well then move to an area with people who have your vision.

Better yet if your vision is so popular why don't you run for public office and do something about it instead of just complaining about what P-ville needs to do to "get better". If you want to change it then do something about it. Yeah right, like that would happen. Put your complaint in the suggestion box buddy because you're beginning to sound a little "whiney" (waaaaa!).
Anonymous said…
Um, okay. So now we look 'boring'. Good argument.
Anonymous said…
Listen dude, obviously you would never argue this point in public because you know your wrong. You want to clean up the town? Thats great, I can respect that but you're talking like if everyone doesn't fit your mold then they shouldn't be here (that concept is boring). Your ideas are way off and you wouldn't have the baseballs to present your views in a public forum such as council meetings. Step up to the plate and bring your ideas to council about getting rid of Tyler James and the Moon Saloon because "you" don't like them and they don't fit your idea of what our town should look like. You can "hmm and hawwl" all you want but you wouldn't view your opinions without the veil of the computer. Step out of the shadows and show your face in a public forum and express your thoughts....................Yeah! I didn't think so. NEXT!
Anonymous said…
Can we all please stop picking on the old Phoenix Tavern and Beer Room! If you want to complain about a bar, then complain about the old Bridge Lounge. That place was so bad they had to tear down the building
Anonymous said…
Now that's funny
Anonymous said…
Yeah, back to the Phoenix Tavern and out with MR Whitewash. What a joke he is.
Anonymous said…
None of us who are happy to see the influx of white collar professionals onto the Bridge St. dining scene are saying we only want yuppies in Phoenixville. It's just that were glad we don't have drug dealers and crackheads wandering around downtown like we used to.

I have a problem with criminals, not with people who put in an honest day's work.
Anonymous said…
I agree with you on the above statement. But Mr Whitewash specifically said that borough folks were the downfall of Phoenixville in the past. He couldn't be any more wrong. Some Phoenixville people and some out of town low lifes were partially responsible for the low lifes running the town. The major responsibility or blame goes to the police and borough council at that time that didn't have the teeth to keep their town good. They quit on the local town people and let the town go because of economic instability. But the economic instability was overshadowed and dwarfed by the bad element in town due to their indifference. There were still a lot of good people in town at that time and there still are plenty of those folks left in town. Maybe we should be more critical of politicians who are more interested in partisan politics such as some of the current council members who just slow down the process. They know exactly who they are and they should be held to the fire.
Anonymous said…
I agree with you on the above statement. But Mr Whitewash specifically said that borough folks were the downfall of Phoenixville in the past. He couldn't be any more wrong. Some Phoenixville people and some out of town low lifes were partially responsible for the low lifes running the town. The major responsibility or blame goes to the police and borough council at that time that didn't have the teeth to keep their town good. They quit on the local town people and let the town go because of economic instability. But the economic instability was overshadowed and dwarfed by the bad element in town due to their indifference. There were still a lot of good people in town at that time and there still are plenty of those folks left in town. Maybe we should be more critical of politicians who are more interested in partisan politics such as some of the current council members who just slow down the process. They know exactly who they are and they should be held to the fire.
Anonymous said…
Hiding behind the veil of the computer??? You're posting as an 'Anonymous' too. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Tell us who you are, Mr. High and Mighty.
VC said…
Wow, what a lively conversation. I just am not seeing the connection to a martini or good whiskey.

Kindly post to the forums section. There is a thread devoted to the revitalization of Phoenixville. That is what 27 of the 29 posts here are all about.

Personally, I enjoy a good vodka martini with a twist of lime. Molly's already makes a pretty good Martini too.
Anonymous said…
If anyone is checking this post the Fenix will be opening at the end of August.
Anonymous said…
Huh?
Anonymous said…
Wow, not many of the "riff raff" that some don't want entering the "upscale" bars don't have the internet. Can't we all just get along....and have a martini!

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