The Partisan in Merced closes for renovation as city entertains buyer for downtown buildings

A popular downtown Merced venue to grab a drink and enjoy live music has temporarily closed its doors for remodeling.

The Partisan, a familiar Main Street fixture since 2007, will be closed for three to five months, according to RC Essig, one of its owners. Essig and three other business partners – Joey Essig, Tim Williams and Vanessa Hofmann – recently purchased the property and decided to make some long-overdue upgrades.

But that’s not the only change coming to downtown Merced.

City officials confirmed an unnamed investor wants to buy multiple downtown buildings. The investor has sent consultants from Oregon, Colorado and Texas to look at the properties for at least a year and a half, said Frank Quintero, Merced’s director of economic development.

“A number of experts have been sent here to look at a number of properties,” Quintero said. “The main investor hired these consultants. They’re from out of town, and we’re not told who the actual buyers are.”

Quintero could not disclose which buildings are under consideration. Another meeting next month could close the deal, he said, and then the city will go public with the details.

At The Partisan, meanwhile, Essig declined to reveal the specific remodeling plans, but he promised the popular bar won’t lose the charm its regulars have grown to love.

“I think people’s biggest concern is that we’re going to somehow make this place something that it’s not,” Essig said. “We’re all from Merced and we love downtown Merced and its history. We want to keep the tradition and history of the building but find a way to encapsulate that into something more up-to-date.”

One of the things The Partisan is best known for – its mix of live music from all genres – will continue when it reopens, Essig confirmed. The 35-year-old and his partners had been leasing the building for more than seven years. The leases jumped from one year to two years, Essig said, making it difficult to invest in the building.

“We haven’t had an opportunity to make the improvements we needed to make because we didn’t have the security about how long we could stay in the place,” Essig said.

The building, which dates to the 1800s, has never had any major improvements. Before The Partisan, the site was home to Trails End bar and Rudy’s jazz lounge. The building was a saloon between 1885 and 1888 when it became Fred Clough’s Furniture Store, according to the state’s historic resources inventory.

Quintero applauded The Partisan owners for buying the property. He said The Partisan has become an anchor business in downtown Merced, earning a loyal customer base and shaping the city’s entertainment scene.

“They have a name that’s established with the community. They have a following and they’re able to reach out to a diverse population,” Quintero said. “I think they have been very successful where they’re at. They have weathered the economic storm and their business model has been very sound.”

Quintero said The Partisan’s temporary closure shouldn’t immediately affect the local economy, because college students – some of the bar’s most loyal patrons – leave Merced to go home this time of year.

“We’re coming up to spring break, so we won’t see an impact from their closure for a while,” he said. “But will we feel it? Absolutely. They are a well-known establishment in the downtown area.”

Quintero pointed to several other downtown destinations that people can enjoy until The Partisan reopens: Five Ten Bistro, Pinocchio’s Restaurant, J&R Tacos and the 17th Street Public House.

The 17th Street Public House, which is also owned by the Essigs, will not be affected by the remodeling plans.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "The Partisan in Merced closes for renovation as city entertains buyer for downtown buildings."