American Legion reopens its doors for business

After closing its doors for only a few days, the bar at the American Legion in Paradise reopened on Thursday. The bar had been closed after members voted to do so based on information supplied to them by the previous commanding officer.

After a meeting with Legion members and the appointment of new officers, the management team at the bar decided to open the location with a new business strategy that they hope will enable the bar to remain viable amidst a slumping economy in this small town.

Headed by former bartender Dave Koepllin and former manager Shannon Browning, the managers said they were glad to be up and running again within a community that has consistently supported the business.

Koepllin said management at the bar will be implementing a variety of adjustments across many aspects of the business.

“We are going to be streamlining a lot of things. We’ve already made some changes that are going to save us money. We are going to start some promotions and have some live music in here as well,” said Koepllin.

In addition to continuing the “taco day” that brought customers into the bar, Koepllin said during Nascar races they would be serving chili-dogs. The establishment is also going to start serving pizzas and expand its selection of beers.

Koepllin said in addition to promotional activities, management will also be changing the way the business is run.

“What we are hoping for is more transparency between the officers, the bookkeeper and the bar managers. We are going to be doing a weekly inventory so we know where we are. We know what we need to fix,” said Koepllin.

Former manager Shannon Browning will be returning to her role running the day-to-day operations of the bar. Koepllin said he and Browning will be handling the accounting responsibilities. Koepllin and one other part-time bartender will work the bartending shifts in addition to Browning.

“It’s gonna take a little time to get our engines running again but the community of Paradise has been extremely supportive of us in the past. The people of Plains and Paradise have really stood up for this place,” said Koepllin.

The decision to close the bar was made by the previous legion commander, Karen Sheehan. Sheehan said legion members voted to close the bar based on advice from the previous bookkeeper. According to Sheehan, business at the bar was down over 50 percent during the past several months.

In contrast to statements made by the management team that worked at the bar during Sheehan’s tenure as commander, Sheehan claimed that business was down dramatically and the bookkeeper told her the bar had to close due to lack of revenue. The Valley Press was unable to contact the bookkeeper to independently verify this claim.

When reached for comment on the discrepancy on how the business was performing, Sheehan had no comment. Sheehan is no longer associated with the legion post in Paradise.

The bar at the American Legion post in Paradise opened in 1946 and according to Koepllin has been a staple in the community ever since. Koepllin was sworn in as adjutant vice-commander while Bill McFadgen was sworn in as commander of the post.