After an unlucky St. Patrick’s Day apartment fire shut down a Irish pub in Bemidji for four months, the establishment’s owner saw this temporary closure not as an obstacle but an opportunity.

Brigid’s Pub has been open in downtown Bemidji since 2005, making it a staple in the community. It has changed owners three times, with current proprietor Travis Glass having run the business since 2017. But despite the change in hands, the spirit of the pub has remained the same for almost two decades.

Since the initial COVID-19 wave and lockdown, Glass hoped that his local business would not see other obstacles it. But, on March 17th of this year, those hopes went up in flames.

An apartment fire sparked by an e-cigarette caused Brigid’s Pub and a neighboring business to close their doors. Although the shutdown was only temporary, the anticipated opening date was postponed following different disruptions to normal operations. The lingering smoke smell and a burst pipe caused an expected few weeks of closure to transform into four months.

When Brigid’s doors were closed to the public, Glass worked on upgrading the building’s interior. Some upgrades included a new bar top and seating to accommodate larger groups. But the most important part to come out of the ashes of this event is the community support for a downtown staple.

“We have a very, very cool community of people here. Local, very loyal, very generous, sincere,” said Brigid’s Pub owner Travis Glass about the recent support. “It was a learning experience. Nobody’s fault. Just one of those things that happened, and we’re going to take it on the chin and continue like we always do.”

By — Mary Balstad