Judy Petty has lived the better part of her life behind the bar at Frank’s Lounge. At almost 70, she’s poured more beers and mixed more drinks than most of us will ever consume.
Frank’s, 2112 S. Main St. holds a special place in Judy’s heart and in recent Joplin bar history. It is, she told me, her second home. But it’s not the building she loves, it’s the people.
I talked to Judy last Saturday morning over a beer. Judy didn’t drink — she had a full day of grandkids and errands ahead.
Judy has plenty of friends and family, a long list of loyal customers and a solid bar business, but there’s one thing missing: Frank.
“I talk to him every morning,” she said, pointing toward a framed photo of her late husband hanging behind the bar. “He ran a strict bar. Any lady could walk in those doors and not have to worry about being harassed. You could have fun, you just had to behave.”
Frank died in August 2002, after successful careers in trucking and the bar biz. Together they owned Ozark Speedway and Judy had her own business interests. They were married for 32 years.
More than 40 years ago, Judy worked for Frank at his namesake lounge at 625 Joplin Ave. They married in April 1970, and moved to the current location on Dec. 21 of that same year. This year marks 40th birthday for Frank’s Lounge. Frank’s has had a good run and from the way it sounds, Frank did too.
‘Always welcome’
Judy told me she and Frank had a simple formula when it came to running a successful bar.
“We always try to have a family atmosphere where everybody knows everybody,” she said. “We’ve had four generations of customers. We have the grandkids of customers coming in now. The kids know their folks came here and they just stick with us.”
Of course, she added, a lot of them are gone now. Thanks to weekend karaoke, a younger crowd has found a home at Frank’s. Judy is good with that.
“I have a lot of young people come in and say they didn’t even know about this place,” she said. “I tell them that’s because this bar is older than you are.”
The crowd at Frank’s is diverse: Late shift workers looking for a place to grab a beer on the way home at 8 a.m. and professional types meeting for business and a high ball after work. Both have a place at Frank’s.
“All we ask is that people are respectful of the establishment and the customers,” Judy said. “You are always welcome if you are well behaved.”
For 32 years Judy and Frank worked the bar six days a week, covering different shifts.
“The only day we had together at home was Sunday,” she said. “One of us was always here working.”
When Frank passed away, it left a hole in Judy’s life and the bar’s schedule. Judy was going to close the place down for a week to make arraignments and get affairs in order. Judy and Frank’s kids discouraged her from closing down.
“My customers ran the bar for a week,” she said with a smile. “They all pulled shifts with the regular help and made it work.”
That act of kindness allowed the family to mourn their loss and take care of one another.
Judy said she loves every one of them. “They are our customers, but they’re friends and family, too. That’s what makes it all worth while,” she said. “It’s a labor of love … it’s home.”
Funny stories
If you hang around a bar — any bar — long enough, you will hear a funny story. Frank’s is full of them. One funny Frank’s story starts with a goat in a customer’s car and ends up with the goat tied to the R&M; Café on Seventh Street. Another involves a “garbage disposal giveaway” and a live pig.
The funniest story I’ve heard involving Frank, I picked up in another bar, but Judy tells it well, too: At Frank’s former location, an old guy had too much to drink, and Frank ask him to leave. The drunk walked out one door and came back in another and asked for a drink.
Again, Frank told the drunk to get out of his bar and the guy eventually complied. However, the drunk, apparently not ready to go home, returned through the bar’s third entrance and ordered a drink.
Frank, again, tells the guy to get out. Confused and blurry-eyed, the drunk asked Frank, “How many damn bars do you own?”
That one gets a laugh every time. “We’ve had a lot of fun here,” Judy said.
Judy’s not talking about the bar’s 40th birthday party planned for December — she’s tight lipped about the plans.
“It’s going to be a surprise,” she said. “I’m not telling.”
I asked Judy what she wanted area residents to know about Frank’s Lounge. She took a minute to think. “I want people to know that we are a family bar,” she said. “Our people are all family. Come on and join the family.”
Cheers!
Dave Woods is new media and marketing manager for The Joplin Globe.
Want to go?
Frank’s Lounge, located at 2112 South Main Street, is open at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Karaoke is featured at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
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April 9, 2010
Dave Woods, Booze Beat: Lounge celebrates 40 years in business
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Dave Woods, Booze Beat: Lounge celebrates 40 years in business
Judy Petty has lived the better part of her life behind the bar at Frank’s Lounge. At almost 70, she’s poured more beers and mixed more drinks than most of us will ever consume.
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