Brownie's Tavern / Paint Creek Tavern

In the early days of the twentieth century, Will Bigger ran a popcorn stand at this location to cater to the passengers on the Detroit United Railway (DUR) interurban line, and to those on the Michigan Central Railroad. The location was a stragetic one: the tracks of the railroad and the interuban crossed at this location, the DUR's car barns and powerhouse were directly across the street, and the Michigan Central's passenger and freight depot was only a block away.

Walter W. Brown joined Bigger in business in 1919-1920, and the two upgraded the business to a lunch stand at this location. The stand was patronized by the DUR workers and streetcar riders alike, who purchased popcorn, beverages and sandwiches from the business. Bigger bowed out in the mid-1920s, and James Dungerow joined Brown as a partner.

Prohibition was in effect at the time, so Brown & Dungerow sold no alcoholic beverages until June 1933, when they applied to the village council for a liquor license as soon as repeal laws went into effect. About 1934, the partners built the current structure at Main St. and Paint Creek.

When James Dungerow later bowed out of the business, Walter Brown continued to operate it under the name Brownie's Tavern. In late 1947, Walter Brown retired from business after 28 years and sold the bar to Harold and Frank Snover. The Rochester Era reported on November 13, 1947: "The tavern license of Walter Brown was transferred to Frank W. Snover and Harold A. Snover who purchased Brown's Tavern at 611-613 North Main street." Snover's Tavern became the Paint Creek Tavern in the mid-1950s, and has carried that name for the past half-century, through a succession of owners following the Snovers.

A group of regular patrons of the bar bestowed the nickname "Paint Creek Yacht Club" or PCYC for short, going so far as to adopt an official logo and print up membership cards. The PCYC moniker and related stories have been the stuff of local lore for half a century.

In late 2019, the bar was leased to Kruse & Muer, who remodeled it and reopened it in 2020 as Kruse's Paint Creek Tavern.

Brown & Dungerow display advertisement, Rochester Era, July 1, 1932.

"Brown and Dungerow, who operate a lunch room north of the M.C.R.R. tracks...," Rochester Clarion, June 30, 1933, p.1.

"Walter Brown Retires From Local Business: Operated Brownie's Tavern for 28 Years," Rochester Clarion, December 4, 1947, p.1.

"The tavern license of Walter Brown was transferred...," Rochester Era, November 13, 1947, p.1.

Larsen, Deborah. "Paint Creek Tavern's Past, Present, and Future," Rochester Media [rochestermedia.com], January 31, 2020.