Nick Fink's, the tavern on West River Drive at Lamoreaux Avenue that has poured drinks in Comstock Park since 1888, is set to get new owners. The ownership group behind Garage Bar is in the process of acquiring the historic bar, with the deal expected to close this week, and plans call for a temporary closure and a renovation costing more than $500,000 before it reopens under a new name.
Who's Buying Grand Rapids' Oldest Bar
A partnership between Kevin Farhat and Third Coast Development is in the process of acquiring Nick Fink's, according to WOODTV. Nick Fink's has long been billed as the oldest bar in the Grand Rapids area, and the station reports the sale came together after The Gilmore Collection decided over the summer to put the property up for sale. Third Coast Development co-founder Dave Levitt is leading the transition for the new ownership group.
Levitt said Nick Fink's has an amazing history in Grand Rapids, according to the station's report, and the new owners intend to convert the property into a Garage Bar location while keeping its identity intact. The bar will be renamed Nick Fink's Garage Bar & Grill, retaining the Fink name even as it joins the Garage Bar family. The new spot is expected to offer an experience similar to the existing Garage Bar locations in Grand Rapids and Ada.
Renovations Planned, Temporary Closure Ahead
Plans call for interior and exterior renovations, including kitchen updates, with an anticipated cost of more than $500,000, per the same account. The Gilmore Collection has announced that Nick Fink's will be temporarily closed as the bar prepares for the transition. Despite the scope of the work, Levitt said the physical space will, by and large, feel similar to its current state once the project wraps up.
The new owners hope to open Nick Fink's Garage Bar & Grill in the late winter or early spring, Levitt told the station. The Gilmore Collection, meanwhile, described Nick Fink's as a cherished part of the community for generations and said its legacy and traditions will continue for years to come.
A Tavern With a Complicated Recent Past
Nick Fink's has had its share of ups and downs in recent years. The bar was closed between 2021 and September 2024, with the Gilmore Collection citing pandemic-related struggles at the time, the station's reporting notes. About a year after reopening, the tavern had reclaimed its place as a cornerstone of the local community, according to MLive, which traces the bar's founding back to 1888.
The property had been listed for $1.2 million, a figure that included the operating restaurant and bar, a liquor license, a house and outbuilding on 0.94 acres, and a vacant adjacent lot at 4012 McCrellis Avenue, the station's reporting indicates. That listing was also noted earlier this year by Crain's Grand Rapids, which reported the Comstock Park bar and property were on the market for $1.2 million.
How Nick Fink's Fits Into the Garage Bar Brand
If Nick Fink's follows the pattern of the company's other locations, it will join a small but growing footprint. The original Garage Bar sits at 819 Ottawa Avenue NW in Grand Rapids, while a second location, Ada Garage Bar, opened in 2021 at 518 Ada Drive SE in Ada Village, according to Third Coast Development. That Ada location is operated under 3C Restaurants, the hospitality operating company in which Third Coast Development holds an ownership stake.
The change of hands also echoes an earlier chapter in the bar's history. A 2008 report from MLive described the Gilmore Collection buying the building, business and liquor license at that time, with plans to keep a bar and add food service — while a separate MLive account states the Nick Fink IV family sold the business to the Gilmore Collection in 2007. The exact year of that earlier transition remains inconsistent between the two accounts. Either way, nearly two decades later, the keys are expected to change hands again, this time with a Garage Bar badge attached to one of the region's oldest taverns.
