New name, new look on tap for Crooks Club bar and off-sale

    Very soon, Crooks Club will no longer be a North Main fixture in downtown Crookston, but that's a good thing.

    Owner Dave Thompson tells the Times that he's in the midst of conducting a "Rename the Bar" contest, and that so far more than 250 name and theme suggestions have been submitted.

    But the longtime bar and off-sale in Crookston – known for years as the Viking, then Rooters, then Captain Crooks Cocktail Club and now Crooks Club – is getting more than a new name. Thompson, who also owns The Wheel bar and lounge in Middle River, Minn., said he's also planning significant renovations to the building, inside and out.

    "We'll have new awnings and things like that on the outside, and we're going to stucco it, too," he said. "Inside the bar, we're going to open things up a bit in the bar area and game room...just kind of change everything up a bit."

    The project will also result in a larger off-sale. Thompson said the hallway between the off-sale and bar will likely be modified, along with the business' office space, in order to free up more space in the bottle shop. Increasing his wine selection is a priority, he said.

    Thompson said there's no single reason he decided to change the name in conjunction with the planned renovation. "When I bought it, it was called Captain Crooks Cocktail Club, which is kind of a mouthful, and people just called it Crooks anyway, so we shortened it," he explained. "We see this as an opportunity to sort of shake everything up."

    A big part of the process is soliciting name and theme ideas from the community as part of the renaming contest. Leading up to a Rename the Bar Party on Friday, Jan. 18, Thompson said he'll accept ideas all week. The person or persons who submits the winner will receive a $500 credit ($250 in the bar and $250 in the bottle shop), along with a few other prizes.

    Thompson said he and his staff are going over the name and theme suggestions as they come in, and that some "pretty good ones" and some "pretty unique" ones are coming in. They include, probably not surprisingly, suggestions to return to the days of The Viking, he added.

    "Some people are really thinking about themes, too," he said, adding that some kind of aquatic theme is popular. "They want aquariums all over the place," Thompson said.

    Once all the names and themes are submitted, Thompson admits that "this isn't a democracy." He will have the final say on the winner, but he said his staff will have a great deal of input.

    As far as a timeline, Thompson said he'll be meeting with the carpenter and electrician this week and he'd like to get started before the end of January. His intention is to keep the business open as much as possible during the renovations, but said he'll probably have to close for a couple days when the ceiling is removed.

    "We're pretty excited about it," he said. "We hope the community can rally around it, too."