Wild ride for saloon owner

Beer, bikers and bras. For a cafe-turned-bar owner, it's proven the perfect menu for success.

Outside the River City Saloon in downtown Anoka, dozens of Harleys line Jackson Street. Inside, where judges, lawyers and city and county officials savor hearty meals made from scratch, more than 100 bras of all colors, shapes and sizes hang from the ceiling.

"They all came off customers," said Saloon owner Holly Brezinka. "Just the late-night stuff. Nothing obscene. No shirts or blouses came off. Just girls and alcohol."

The distinctive decoration started with one of the bar's servers, Brezinka said. Then the idea grew.

Now, "Every staff person has one up there," said bartender April Beckman, who also contributed to the cause.

If you don't notice the bras, Brezinka will point them out for you. But you'll notice. Many are autographed and dated -- a journey through the past that leaves plenty to the imagination.

Brezinka knows it will take more than bras to support this saloon -- one of seven bars on the block.

The cafe hit the ground running when then-U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty made a morning appearance there on the Tuesday before the 2008 election. Coleman ordered a latte and Pawlenty sipped water.

But Brezinka's entrepreneurial heart belonged to other beverages.

"I'm a bar girl," she said recently.

Been around the block

Brezinka worked on the same block for 15 years at bars and restaurants, where customers digested her witty chatter along with the meals she served. They seemed to love Legal Grounds, too -- at least until the economy crashed.

"Quitting was never an option for me," she said, showing the same competitive spirit that helped her dad, an outstanding golfer and champion Alpine skier, earn a spot in the U.S. national Ski Hall of Fame in 1996.

Getting a liquor license approved was one thing. But $30,000 in combined new sewage and water access charges nearly sank Brezinka's dream.

Council Member Jeff Weaver -- who doesn't drink or ride a motorcycle -- told Brezinka the city had received a windfall of approximately $1.2 million in credits from the Metropolitan Council for sewer and water availability charges. Thanks to a policy written by city planner Carolyn Braun that allows the city to defer payment on SAC fees, Brezinka was in business. She'll pay off the fees over time.

"In essence, it covers the tenant and the property owner," Braun said. "It's a safe deal for the city."

Blue-chip meals

"Why do I go there?" asked Anoka City Manager Tim Cruikshank. "The food's really good. It's all homemade, even the potato chips, which you've got to try.

"And Holly's a great hostess. She's plugged in."

The Jackson Street block adjacent to the Anoka County Government Center offers an eclectic mix of seven bars and restaurants that city officials are touting as the Entertainment District of the North. Weaver and Cruikshank say they would love to draw customers to the district, not only from the city and Anoka County, but from other counties as well.

But with so many bars in one small area, the place needed to be distinct. For Brezinka, who wears a Harley shirt to work, and general manager Mark Broderick, who also rides a motorcycle, appealing to the biker crowd was hardly a stretch. They understand steel and chrome like they know the bar business.

Bike Night

Many of the bikers hold white-collar jobs, Broderick said. One has been a probation officer for 31 years, he said. Many are computer geeks.

"Why not create an establishment that welcomes you?" he said. "We're a motorcycle-enthusiast bar. Why not show these people that somebody cares about them?

"And you'd be shocked at the number of non-alcoholic drinks we serve to people who ride in on motorcycles."

The saloon also has had to turn away as many as 50 people during happy hour on a ride night, prompting Brezinka to explore ways of expanding the place. She plans to take over at least part of the vacant storefront next door this fall.

Since the bar's opening 13 months ago, its reputation as a biker bar has spread rapidly, mostly by word of mouth. But an open patio, sometimes with music, also has attracted seniors, Brezinka said.

"And you know something? My father would have loved this place."