Goody Glover’s, tragically, is closing up for the last time at the end of the month.
And in a neighborhood marred by gentrification and rising rents, the loss will be felt by all who have lingered for hours there over a beer.
“I think it’s going to be missed,” says owner Dan McMyler. “But I’m 51 now, [and] didn’t want to waste time trying to sell the place and new lease negotiations broke down with the new landlords over [their] outrageous rent hike. They wouldn’t budge.”
Thus, the time was right to just pack it up and remember the good times, and the roughly 150,000 pints of Guinness he estimates were poured in Goody’s over the past 11 years. McMyler notes the shifting demographics of the area ousting “regular working stiffs … restaurant and blue-collar workers, the people that can’t afford to live there now” as a factor in his decision—Peet’s Coffee is rumored to be the next tenant in Goody’s prime real estate. Dubious, to be sure, and a tad redundant considering Bread + Butter Cafe already sits spitting-distance away.
According to McMyler, “the neighborhood fought for years to keep out chains,” but, he says, a lot of neighbors also don’t like the idea of another bar going in, and tend to oppose anything requiring a 2am license. “The social demand is there, so the city would [probably] approve it.”
McMyler has amassed plenty of fond memories though, like the night he and Littlest Bar owner Patrick “Paddy” Grace sat perched on the second floor watching welders light up the night with sparks while pulling down the last sections of the old upper deck of I-93 during the Big Dig. His voice radiates pride when describing Goody’s beloved drinking atmosphere, which echoed that of “the old country” (read: Ireland), where 20-year-old and octogenarian regulars alike would feel equally at ease socializing.
“No lines, no live bands and no gimmicks,” McMyler says. “Just a real neighborhood bar to have a quiet beer and talk with someone.”
GOODY GLOVER’S. OPEN FOR ONE LAST PINT BEFORE THEY CLOSE FOR GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT. 50 SALEM ST. 617-367-6444.
Dan is a freelance journalist and has written for publications including Vice, Esquire, the Daily Beast, Fast Company, Pacific Standard, MEL, Leafly, Thrillist, and DigBoston.
