New owners at First Street Pub in Dixon

DIXON – A little touch of Ireland is planting itself downtown.

A strength of First Street Pub, said local entrepreneur Ed Miller, is its spacious outdoor patio. The bar, at First Street and Peoria Avenue, is positioned to capitalize on a great Dixon audience, he added.

That is why Miller and his investment group, Evergreen Marketing Inc., decided to buy the pub. In the next 2 months, Evergreen will usher in PatiO's, a name change to reflect the group's brand of Irish atmosphere.

"The riverfront's definitely a big addition to Dixon," Miller said Tuesday while sitting alongside business partner Elaine Bruns at First Street's counter.

Evergreen also owns Shamrock Pub, 1401 Chicago Ave. Operations there will stay the same as his group prepares to launch PatiO's, he said.

"The culture that's building down here – live music venues, the arts – are bringing people to Dixon, …” he said. “A lot of downtowns you can shoot a cannon through them and not hit anybody. Dixon's not one of those. And we're excited to be a part of it."

Miller and Bruns say their new pub's situation is ideal, a reason they are doing little to no remodeling. Rather, they plan to touch up the interior by adding the Irish-themed decor customers have come to love at Shamrock.

The patio, along Peoria Avenue, is the feature owners are most excited about. It has room to entertain a number of outdoor events, such as concerts, something Miller plans to deliver when warm weather returns next spring.

"The patio will be a completely different place," Miller said. "We're basically looking to take complete advantage of what we feel is the best patio here in town. We'll have new seating, a big screen, a number of different venues. It'll be something to really take advantage of outside."

Eventually – although not during PatiO's planned grand opening in October – owners hope to offer food, as well. Evergreen is trying to launch its new "bar concept" versus Shamrock's bar-grill environment.

All of the excitement is spurred by the owners' outlook on Dixon's downtown. They said local groups like Dixon Main Street have created an environment that helps small business thrive.

"We're very excited to be downtown," Miller said. "There's a lot going on in downtown Dixon, and our corporation wanted to be a part of it. We were looking for opportunities, and this one came up."