Wellsville’s downtown nightlife has seen better days.
L.C. Whitford is finalizing a deal to buy the Better Days Sports Bar, the construction company’s next door neighbor in downtown Wellsville.
L.C. Whitford President Brad Whitford said the company, which is headquartered at 164 N. Main St., will convert the long-time bar and grill at 166 N. Main into much-needed office space for its workers.
“It’s not going to be a bar. We’re just out of space here at 164 North Main Street,” Whitford said. “Obviously, there’s a building on either side of us. The one to our right was sold, so we only had one other choice and that was to go left.”
Citing the pending sale, Better Days announced in a social media post Aug. 21 that it is selling all its inventory and plans to close its doors for good on Aug. 31.
LC Whitford is purchasing the Better Days Bar & Grill at 166 N. Main St. to expand its office space in the Village of Wellsville.
The bar has changed ownership multiple times over the years, with brothers David and Denny Truax taking over in 2019.
Whitford acknowledged that the conversion of the building from a fun party spot to a “boring” office will disappoint some people.
“The fact is, it’s been a pretty popular bar in Wellsville over the years,” he said.
The closure of Better Days will eliminate the last traditional bar business on Wellsville’s Main Street. The Wellsville Brewery is open from 3-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2-9 p.m. on Saturday.
LC Whitford, with offices at 164 N. Main St., center, is purchasing the Better Days Bar & Grill at 166 N. Main St., left, to expand its office space in the Village of Wellsville.
Purchased fueled by space needs at LC Whitford
L.C. Whitford has roughly 250 employees, a group that includes office workers, shop personnel and construction crews. But the space crunch is so bad it’s impacting how the company operates, Whitford explained.
“At this point, in some cases we’re making hiring decisions on how much room we’ve got instead of how many people we need,” Whitford said. “We’re packed in here pretty tight. We occupy the first, second and third floors of 164 North Main, and so we’re just flat out of space.”
While the sale has not closed, Whitford said “it appears imminent.” He said much of the work of converting the building will be done in-house when construction work slows in October and November.
LC Whitford is purchasing the Better Days Bar & Grill at 166 N. Main St. to expand its office space in the Village of Wellsville.
There will be some challenges in the reno, including bringing the buildings together.
“We’re going to have to figure out a way to connect the buildings that doesn’t include people walking out the front door in the wintertime to the front door there,” Whitford said. “We’ve got some ideas of where we could knock a hole so that we can connect the buildings without going outside.”
The L.C. Whitford Co., Inc. is a family-owned-and-operated general contractor that has been in business for more than 100 years. L.C. Whitford operates primarily throughout New York state and Pennsylvania with a second division in Atlanta, Ga. which serves the southeastern states.
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Specialties include bridgework for both roads and railroads along with its newest endeavor − waterproofing and containment. In addition to construction, the L.C. Whitford Co., Inc. has two affiliated companies that supply materials and equipment to other companies while supporting and streamlining its own projects.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: L.C. Whitford buying Better Days bar on Main Street Wellsville