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History of the
Blum
Special to The Truth
The Blum Street Café dates back to the 1920’s. From 1925 –
1941, it was owned and operated by John Krolak as “Krolak’s
Café”, a confectionery store. In 1945, it became a local bar
known as the “Blum Café” under the ownership of John
Jesionowski.
Jesionowski maintained ownership of the building and
business until 1964 when purchased by Pete and Dahlia Lyle.
In 1964, the customer base was primarily a German and Polish
mix. Operating hours were 8 a.m. – 1 a.m., six days a week.
Soon after, a 2:30 a.m. permit was purchased under which we
still operate today.
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Pete and Eva Lyle with family members
Leonia Lyle and Otis V.E. Jones |
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The new “Blum Café” inherited the previous owner’s
philosophy of “a shot and a beer” otherwise known as a
“boilermaker.” Liquor was approximately 35 cents per shot,
draft beer was 10 cents per glass and canned beer was 15
cents per can. The original hosts and bartenders included
Dahlia Lyle, Evans Lyle and Ethel Thomas.
The “Blum Café” has a rich history. In the late 60’s - early
70’s, the Blum Café became the home of the Gypsy Angels. The
book I’ll Take You There by Matthew A. Donahue
mentions them in reference to the history of Hine’s Farm.
He writes: “The highlight of the calendar was Motorcycle
Sunday, when local bike chapters The Atomic Pirates and The
Gypsy Angels would impress the crowds with acts of
derring-do after a weekend-long bout of jollification which
started with a Friday Night hog roast.”
From the 70’s until the 90’s, Thomas “TC” Grisham manned the
bar with the addition of Eva (Snodgrass) Lyle. In those
days, the Blum co-founded the “Inner City Pool League” with
many of the local blac- owned bars, including the H&H,
Jordan’s, the A&G, the Eureka, the Shadowbox, the Savoy and
Milt’s. For many years, you could come to the Blum for a
game of Bid Whist, Coon Cane, Dirty Hearts and Tunk.
Over the years, the Blum has been home to many, including:
Ford, Jeep and Hydromatic Nights; The Alley Cats; the Inner
City Car and Motorcycle Club and many bowling, pool and
softball leagues.
On Tuesday, September 9, 2014, the Toledo City Council
unanimously voted to name the corner of Blum and Hoag “Pete
Lyle, Jr. Corner”. |
