Meet the Man Who Revitalized Alary’s Bar in Downtown St. Paul

When the previous owners announced last year that they were closing the Alary bar, they promised that it wouldn’t be dark for long. Last weekend, those promises seemed to come true.

Bill Collins, a 1987 graduate of the University of St. Thomas, bought the bar in February and immediately set about keeping some things the same. Alary’s remains a bar for Chicago Bears fans and St. Paul police and first responders. But there is one major change: no more scantily clad waitresses.

Eye On St. Paul stopped by Alary’s at 139 E. 7th St. to visit with Collins and talk about what inspired him to reopen a bar that was both a downtown institution and more than a little known for the behavior of some patrons, including the Winter Carnival Vulcans who abused servers in 2005. This interview has been edited for length.

Q: Why did you buy Alary’s?

A: It was a great opportunity. You know, I own Camp, which is right next door. And business is spectacular. That bar has one thing you can’t buy: 75 years of history. To be able to say we’ve been open since 1949 is pretty incredible. When Alary’s closed (in 2023), Camp was kind of isolated. It was kind of a stopgap between the action of Lowertown, around Mears Park and Dark Horse and Barrio and Bulldog. It just reconnects, keeps the vitality alive.

Q: It’s still a Chicago Bears bar, right?

A: Yes. But for the hockey season, it’s definitely the Minnesota Wild. Our intention is to focus on the sports teams in the eastern part of the metropolis: the Wild, the Saints, the Aurora. And as soon as we have a name for women’s professional hockey, we will be there too.

Q: Alary’s has a long history and doesn’t always have the best reputation. Wasn’t it originally a strip club?

A: Burlesque.

Q: What do you want him to become?

A: There’s an opportunity for this to be the hub of the east end of the metro. There’s not really a good football bar in the east end of the metro that’s not just focused on the Loons but also European football. We have a couple of staff members who are huge football fans and are excited to come and open at 7am for the European games. Obviously it’s going to be a great place to watch the Bears games. And also a little bit nicer environment to do it in.

Q: What about the old patrol car doors decorating the walls?

A: The previous manager was really conscientious and made a huge effort to get everything returned (to Alary’s), but we are in contact. We are working on getting a patrol door so the police can come in and sign the doors again.

Q: What clues do you have that the police are coming back?

A: Oh, a lot of them have said that. We’re going to do the same thing for the police officers that we do at Camp: free food and drinks when they’re on duty, and then 50% off when they’re off duty. There’s just recognition. Thank you. These guys have had a tough few years and we have to be grateful for the ones who stayed on because a lot of them have thrown in the towel.

Q: What made you want to get into this business?

A: We built the Lowry Theater in the Lowry Building and had dinner shows. We had bingo and Tony and Tina’s wedding. And we started learning a lot more about how the bar works. It’s really fun and fascinating.

Q: With the Camp and now Alary’s, you have bet on downtown Saint-Paul. Why?

A: Well, I live in Minneapolis. But St. Paul has always been my hometown. I’ve been to St. Thomas. I think the first 10 years that I lived here, I went to Minneapolis four times, you know, and I didn’t know that the Marshall Street Bridge was the Lake Street Bridge. You know, it all depends on how you look at it. We do very well at Camp, so there’s definitely a demand, there’s definitely a vibrancy here, especially when there’s events.

Q: Given your 75-year history, do you feel any pressure about this?

A: Oh my God, yeah. You know, Bears fans have high expectations. But I think we’re ready. You know, I grew up in a Chicago family. We were season ticket holders at Soldier Field. Yeah. And I also own a farm in Wisconsin and I became a Green Bay fan there. And the Camp is a Green Bay bar. When they play (against each other), there’s the potential for something special. I have to figure out exactly what that is. But I think the regulars have talked about a traveling trophy that would be placed between the bars depending on who won the last game.

Q: How did it become a Bears bar?

A: The original owner, Al Baisi, played for the Chicago Bears. He moved here and with a guy named Larry Lehner, bought a bar downtown. Al lived there until 2005. One day, Al was shot in the face with a shotgun after driving a married waitress home, and they never found the culprit. He was mostly blind for the rest of his life. There was a little apartment above the kitchen where he spent most of his time.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself. Did you grow up in Chicago?

A: Yes, I have seven older brothers.

Q: Eight boys? No girls?

A: No. Mom was amazing. My brother Mike said at her wake that for the first 15 years of her life he thought she was called Your Poor Mother because that was the only way he would hear anyone call her.