New name and theme for reopened S. Side bar
The South Side bar where a man was fatally shot May 21 is starting over with a different name, a new concept and strengthened security.
Formerly the Rowdy Buck, the space at 1321 E. Carson St. is reopening as Trixie’s Game Room and Bar, said Steve Zumoff, who owns the business with Scott Kramer. Following an agreement with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, the operation closed after the shooting of Dahrique Smith, 25, of West Mifflin.
Cleared by the DA’s office to open late Thursday, Trixie’s features pinball machines, retro
video games and pool and shuffleboard tables, Mr. Zumoff said. Gone is the dance floor that had been a staple at the Rowdy Buck, which opened in 2012.
“This is going to be a place where you sit down at a table and play a game or shoot a game of pool — just not the same vibe as a dance club,” Mr. Zumoff said.
He said the operators “just wanted to do something that was a little less impact on the neighborhood and ourselves.” They followed requests from the DA’s office to upgrade security before reopening, Mr. Zumoff said. It will include scanning customer IDs, better bag-checking practices and higher-quality camera surveillance.
Food and alcohol will be available at Trixie’s, where the normal opening time will be 4 p.m., Mr. Zumoff said. Trixie’s maximum occupancy will be smaller than that for the Rowdy Buck, which was approved for 339 people, he said, but it wasn’t immediately clear by how much capacity would shrink.
“The reopening follows meetings with our office and other members of the Nuisance Bar Task Force,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “As a result of those meetings, the establishment is under new management and will have increased security every day that they are open, including searching all bags and purses that are being carried into the bar. They have also eliminated the DJ and are attempting to rebrand themselves.
“The task force will continue to monitor the bar closely, but for now, our office is satisfied with the changes,” the statement said.
Authorities last week charged Kolbrin Holyfield, 23, in the early-morning shooting. Mike Manko, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., declined to address whether bar management could have prevented the incident, citing the active nature of the criminal case.
In a 30-second surveillance clip, a man is seen walking into the bar, followed by two women and anotherman. The last one in holds a small black object.
“It seemed there’s nothing we could have done about it. It could happen in a grocery store. It could’ve happened anywhere,” Mr. Zumoff said.
He didn’t know all the details in the criminal investigation, but “we’re just changing our concept to hopefully make it a better place,” Mr. Zumoff said.