Harmony Inn reopening finally within sight
After months of uncertainty and the loss of about 50 staff members who couldn't wait for their jobs to start, the new owner of the Harmony Inn said he's finally on course to reopen the restaurant, likely within a few weeks
“The timeline is finally back in our hands,” Bob McCafferty said on Thursday. “Now we can open a business.”
The restaurant is in a historic home built in 1856 that was once the residence of a prominent banker.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board approved transfer of the liquor license Thursday. The Department of Revenue last week issued a tax clearance.
McCafferty said he still must make sure the license covers the entire building and outdoor patio but said that shouldn't mean any further problems.
“Now we'll be able to set an opening date,” McCafferty said.
Revenue Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell said she couldn't comment on the particulars of McCafferty's license.
The previous owners of the inn, Gary Barnes and Carl Beers, could not be reached.
A contingent of local legislators has been helping McCafferty cut through the red tape to secure the liquor license for the restaurant, including state Rep. Jim Marshall, R-Beaver Falls, and retiring state Rep. Dick Stevenson, R-Grove City.
“Harmony needs this. It needs the activity, that spark,” Marshall said. “I think it's essential that we give every small business the opportunity to succeed and not continue to put roadblocks in front of them.”
McCafferty, along with his wife, Jodi, own the North Country Brewing Co. in Slippery Rock and wanted to expand their business.
Barnes and Beers ran into financial troubles with the inn.
McCafferty said that he opened a line of credit so that he could pay past taxes totaling about $150,000 that endangered the license renewal. With the taxes paid, the state renewed the liquor license in June to Barnes and Beers.
By August McCafferty bought the restaurant in a sheriff's sale, and began work to renovate and reopen the restaurant.
McCafferty said he believed at first that there would be few problems getting the liquor license transferred, until the state revenue department asked for financial documents dating back to 2009 from the previous owners.
“This has been frustrating,” said McCafferty. “It's not the first time we've opened a store, but it seems like it's just gotten more difficult. I'm not sure how mom-and-pop stores are able to deal with this. It just takes the wind out of your sails.”
Brassell would not say what documents the department had been seeking.
“A liquor license is one tool the department can use to ensure all revenues owed to the department are paid,” Brassell said, including anything from sales tax to withholding taxes.
In the meantime, work proceeded on renovating the building.
McCafferty said he and his wife have spent about $900,000 so far without serving a single customer.
“We were always waiting for a grizzly to pop up from behind a tree,” McCafferty said. “We thought this was all taken care of last summer. We wouldn't open a business without the license.”
Though there were no outstanding liens filed in the Butler County prothonotary's office against Beers and Barnes, Brassell said that didn't mean there weren't other issues.
“In some cases, a purchaser could be encumbered by a former manager, a former owner,” Brassell said.
The LCB canceled the license renewal on May 5 because the revenue department hadn't cleared the license, McCafferty said. The revenue department issued its clearance Tuesday.
“Getting that license cleared and in our hands was the biggest thing,” McCafferty said, adding that work will begin on final construction and training staff. “Now we can set an opening date.”
Bill Vidonic is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5621 or bvidonic@tribweb.com.
