A bar that's a big part of Replacements lore and a mainstay of Uptown area Minneapolis hipsters for as long as there has been Uptown area hipsters, the C.C. Club has been sold to the owners of the neighboring French Meadow Bakery. The new bosses clearly hope to nip any and all cries of gentrification in the bud, however, by promising not to mess with the bar's, um… timeless character.
"We view the C.C. Club as a neighborhood landmark supported by a loyal clientele and a dedicated staff, some of whom have worked at the bar for over 30 years," French Meadow co-owner Lynn Gordon is quoted in the release. "We plan to maintain and continue the C.C.'s traditions, and the best way we thought we could do this was to continue neighborhood ownership. This will assure that 26th and Lyndale remains the home to both these unique businesses."
One big reason Gordon and her partner, Steve Shapiro, coveted the C.C. was to also get their hands on the adjoining parking lot to use for both businesses. The bar originally dates back to the end of Prohibition and was owned for the past 28 years by Mo and Sharon Emard and Linda Rauen. Like a lot of bars of this variety, its business lagged when the city and state smoking bans took effect in the mid-2000s, but it has nonetheless remained a popular watering hole.
As for the Replacements tie-ins, Paul Westerberg was one of countless Twin Cities music vets who used to live near the C.C. and used it as inspiration for the "Tim" album's classic downer closer "Here Comes a Regular." It's also where the replacement drummer on the band's last tour, the late Steve Foley, earned the gig after randomly running into Westerberg there. You're more likely to see Westerberg next door at French Meadow nowadays, though.
