Highly anticipated Webster pub gets a name — and that much closer to opening

Work on a forthcoming, highly anticipated Webster establishment is entering the homestretch.

The place that will succeed Barry’s Old School Irish, which closed in September 2023, now has a name: The Mary Wee Pub, which pays tribute to proprietor Mark Petzing’s grandmother, Mary Tuite, who died in 2017.

“When she got older, they wouldn’t let her drink her whiskeys as much,” the Webster resident explained. “You know, they would water it down, and they’d put a little around the rim. And I was the oldest grandkid. She’d always smile and say thank you. And whenever my mom or my aunts weren’t looking, she’d say ‘Mark, give me a wee bit more.’”

The business at 2 W. Main St. in the village also has a timeframe for opening: early fall.

At first, Petzing was adamant September would be the month.

But, “I want to make sure everything is done and done right,” so October is looking more likely, he said.

Petzing has worked in the restaurant business since he was a kid and for more than 20 years overseen operations at Irondequoit’s Shamrock Jack’s Irish Pub, a family business led by his mother, Cathy.

He will continue in his role there but had long dreamed of having his own pub, too, so when Barry’s closed, with the support of his wife, Kelly, Petzing took the leap.

People who used to patronize Barry’s won’t recognize the 1,350-square-foot space, which was gutted and has been completely reconfigured.

“Everything in here — electric, plumbing, walls, ceiling, structure — it’s all new inside,” he said. “A lot of people have asked, ‘Did you make it bigger?’ Well, I can’t make it bigger … but we made it feel bigger in here. And it was a lot of work.”

Angling the new bar means it will be able to seat 14 to 15 people.

An adjacent counter will offer more seating. And in front of it will be a garage door-style window opening to a counter outside where people can sit during the warm weather.

Windows facing the Main Street/North Avenue intersection have been replaced by glass doors that can be left open during the summer, adding to the indoor-outdoor vibe.

“It’s going to be upscale but casual,” is how Petzing described the venue, which also will include a few high- and low-top tables.

The overall aesthetic is a gastropub/Irish pub with industrial touches: exposed brick walls and wood and metal beams, metal wall sconces that shine light up and down, and a wood-topped bar with a front covered in whiskey staves, the strips of wood that make up whiskey barrels.

The drop ceiling has been removed, and the higher one will be covered in shiplap painted off-white.

Petzing hasn’t settled on a paint color for the walls, where the Irish accents will go, including photos of his grandmother and a print from his mom that reads, “Go confidently with your dreams.”

The Mary Wee Pub will have eight draft lines, he said, dispensing Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s. “Plus, we will have a local IPA, probably Three Heads. But I will have a couple Genny lines. I will run a Genny special all day every day. It’s one of my favorite beers.”

Irish whiskey, both high-end and less pricey, will be served, along with wine and mixed drinks.

The food menu will be “a wee bit of everything,” he said. “It will be a small menu, but a consistently good menu” that’s likely to include shepherd’s pie, Irish beef stew and a Reuben sandwich, plus a range of soups and salads.

A jukebox will play a mix of music — Irish tunes, of course, but other types, too.

As for live music, Petzing expects he should be able to accommodate it by rearranging some furniture.

There will be three flat-screens for sports fans, he said. But, “I don’t want to overkill it with the TVs.”

The village is home to numerous other bars, he said, and “Everyone here has their one little niche, so I don’t want to take away from anybody.”

He also understands that however the pub starts out, it will evolve organically, based on what customers want.

“It’s going to take on a life of its own over time,” he said. “And it’s going to be what fits the people who come in here. Because — I’ve said this over and over again, and I really mean it — it’s just as much theirs as it is ours. That’s how we’ve always been at Shamrock Jack’s.”

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Former Barry’s Old School Irish to become The Mary Wee Pub in Webster