MORENCI — It wasn’t all that long ago that Tony Muzzi had never even heard of Morenci.
But now, he couldn’t be happier to be here.
Muzzi is the new owner of the former Flats Pub at 113 North St., newly renamed the North Street Pub after a community contest that ended just before Christmas. For the past 12 years he had worked at The Whitney, a fine dining establishment on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. He was general manager for the last eight of those years, and he recalls that he would do 30,000 steps in a three-piece suit on a Saturday night.
But that’s not what he really wanted in life.
“I always wanted to own a small-town, community-driven dive bar,” Muzzi said. “That’s been a goal of mine for 10 years.”
Being a dive bar, Muzzi said, is nothing to be ashamed of.
“When I say ‘dive bar,’ I mean a come-as-you-are, everybody’s welcome, no judgment, unpretentious watering hole,” he said.
The journey that led Muzzi to Morenci started with an internet search. He was looking for bars for sale in Michigan, and when the Pub came up, he discovered that it has everything he wanted. It was already established, with an existing clientele. It wasn’t too far from his family, especially his aunt’s house in Pinckney that is the nexus of many family gatherings. And it even had an apartment upstairs that he could live in.
It just seemed perfect — and so did the town. After a few visits to Morenci, Muzzi said, he “just really fell in love with the place.”
So on Oct. 22 of last year, he signed on the dotted line and became the Pub’s new owner.
To get people involved in the future of the bar, he ran a contest to decide on its new name. Along with North Street Pub, the options were “The Pub,” “State Line Pub,” “The Bulldog Pub,” and “The Low Places Pub.” Customers got one vote for every drink they bought, and by the time the contest ended a few days before Christmas, more than 3,000 votes had been cast.
Though the name is new, Muzzi notes that he really didn’t set out to change very much. He didn’t need to, because he came into an operation that was already popular and well-run, with a good staff in place.
The North Street Pub’s menu includes burgers, sandwiches, wings, salads, and appetizers. Two of the most popular items are “The Pub’s Famous Billy Bones” — fried breadsticks dusted with garlic salt and served with nacho cheese — and “Marsha’s Famous Gizzards.” Regular entertainment includes trivia, karaoke, and Name That Tune.
In the months since Muzzi moved to town, he’s been getting to know the community — and also getting involved. He recently joined the Downtown Development Authority board, and he has been hired to coach varsity and middle school cross country in the fall.
He is also working on organizing a summer concert series outside the pub, with concerts on the second Friday of June, July and August.
The North Street Pub can be reached by phone at 517-458-6469, and updates are posted to its Facebook page, facebook.com/NorthStreetPubMorenci.
A version of this story previously appeared in the February 2025 issue
of the Lenawee Voice.