The Hamilton Street Pub • Re-Branded & Re-Invented

With a rich legacy written about in song and spanning four decades, The Hamilton Street Pub is without doubt a pivotal jewel in the crown of the Old Town Saginaw Entertainment District.  Since the mid-1970s it has served as a vital venue for featuring live original music, up and coming new artists emerging in the region, as well as significant national acts; and today it stands as the only venue  left in Old Town that regularly showcases live entertainment.

But the Pub has always been about much more than music, featuring one of the broadest, tastiest, and most reasonably priced lunch & evening dining menus on the Hamilton Street corridor; while also serving as a central hub for darting enthusiasts, artistic bohemians, and those looking to enjoy local craft beers on tap and a broad selection of spirits.

Now this legacy venue has received a complete facelift and overhaul and is under new management, with promoter and musical artist Chris Redburn at the helm and his eye focused upon purchasing the venue from current owner David Strouse.  “I have two partners that are interested in backing me at acquiring the Pub, but they want to see how the numbers evolve, so for now I am acting as a consultant between David and my two partners; but the Hamilton St Pub is definitely under new management,” explains Redburn.

“The biggest change is with the look of the venue and my number one priority is centered around re-branding it, which goes across-the-board from the kitchen and food to the entertainment, the image of the place, and the logo,” he continues. “We’re going with the original brown and orange logo that once hung from chains in the front of the venue.  The building hasn’t really been touched in 35 years, so we are up-lighting the brick, resurfacing the floors, painting the ceiling, and I’ve assembled a team of people in place that do what they’re good at.”

Closed in December for remodeling, the new Hamilton St. Pub officially re-opened on January 3rd with a fresh menu and new kitchen manager, Kory Veitengruber, who Chris says has been a “tremendous help.”  

“We’ll be starting out by opening four days a week from Wednesday through Saturday and focusing on lunches,” notes Redburn. “In terms of our re-branding, the employees will be wearing uniforms and we’ll use the same logos on everything, with appropriate color-matching on the inside, which is part of the re-branding process.  We have new bathrooms and are the only entertainment bar in Old Town Saginaw, so I really want to utilize that incredible stage,”

Regarding the live entertainment, Chris says he wants to target a broad demographic ranging in age from 18 to 80. “I want to focus on entertainment that attracts people, which means we won’t be focusing just on Rock ‘n Roll. I want to feature Jazz or whatever works. Presently, the Pub is known for drawing a certain type of crowd, but I would like to monopolize on the assets of the venue and feature new things to pull people in their 50s and 50s back into the Pub.  You can’t have the same people going to the bar every night, but there is a psychology to this and it takes work. You’ve got to find these people and go to where they hang out and let them know what you are offering. Whatever it takes to find these people, we want to cater to them and let them know they have a place where they can come and hang out.”

The new dining menu consists of items ranging from Grilled French Dips and BLT’s, to Steak Sandwiches, Pesto Chicken, Tacos, Nachos, Quesadillas, and six different varieties of burgers. Entertainment for January includes the following: Friday, Jan. 10th, We, the Infamous, The Blind Riots, RFTW and The Euclids; Sat., Jan 11, High Pilot, Polychromic, The Crush Tones & Wilder Rd; Fri. Jan. 17, The Mongrels, Everyday Ghost, Adaboy! and Audrey Burne; Sat., Jan. 18, Hedgerow, Loud Thoughts & More; Fri., Jan. 24, The Liars Circle, Henry & More; and Sat., Jan. 25th, Burnaround. All shows open at 8 PM with DJ Dance in-between.

“There’s a buzz going around about our re-branding and people are curious,” concludes Redburn. “Plus, with The Stable re-opening as well, more traffic is coming to the street, which is nice to see again.  I am also happy to see The Junction opening again soon and we will help one another out. I am very interested in working with all the bars and bringing back the Pub Crawls. Midland street in Bay City is doing well because they work together; and we need to implement the same teamwork.”