Contrary to what its name suggests, the Lil' Downtown Lounge is not located in Downtown Milwaukee. Rather, it sits unassumingly on the western cusp of downtown West Allis at 8812 W. Greenfield Ave.
Extensively updated from its early corner bar days as Vic's Tap, Vic Sam's, and, most recently, Sam's Still, the lounge no longer harbors the townie, dive bar feel so prevalent within the numerous West Side taverns.
That was co-owner Michelle Boche's number one condition when her fiancé, Sam Burgarino -- who has owned the property for decades -- convinced her to reopen the bar after Sam's Still closed in October 2006.
"I said to him, 'If we're going to do this, we're going too do this my way. We're going to be one of a kind -- something in West Allis that nobody else has,'" says Boche.
In less than a year, Boche had achieved her goal. The Lil' Downtown Lounge officially opened in July 2007 and thanks to Boche's feminine touch, it could now easily rival any number of East Side or Downtown establishments with classy and style.
The illuminated bar top glows ruby red from the stage in the front back to the red-felted pool table in the rear of the bar. The walls too boast a rich, velvety scarlet that calmly reflects the sporadic candlelight and hanging chandelier.
Originally a plush-couch lounge, the front area was converted into a modest stage hosting live blues bands Thursday through Saturday. Thursday night is an open blues jam hosted on a rotating basis by local blues band Hounds Tooth and Jammin' Jimmy.
As 9 p.m. arrives, the bar begins to fill with eager musicians and bands hoping to find a place on stage before an enthusiastic live audience.
Last Thursday, Hounds Tooth kicked off the open blues jam with several original songs, followed by a few familiar classic rock covers. There was nary a soul not tapping his foot inside the small tavern.
"We don't have the neighborhood crowd that we used to have when it was Sam's Still," says Boche of her demographic. "We have a lot of new faces and I'm thinking that's thanks to the music."
Boche says she never set out to run a blues bar; it's something that happened organically but has now earned the bar a solid reputation within the local music community. Names like Big O and the Nightowls, Stokes and the Old Blues Boys, South End Blues Bands, The Voodoo Band and Reverend Raven and the Chainsmoking Altar Boys frequently dot the events calendar.
Even when there isn't a band wailing in the front corner, the Lil' Downtown Lounge holds its own as a fun, friendly place to grab a fairly-priced drink and chat with Boche and Burgarino about the future of the bar. Despite its pleasant, comfortable interior and clean feel -- including clean bathrooms (very important) -- Boche claims she has even more plans for beautification.
"It's a work in progress," she says. "We're 98 percent there, but we're still working on the details. We've been described as a classy bar, yet we're a neighborhood bar. It's the kind of place where you don't have to dress up. Everyone gets along."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
