'Crawl bearers' carry mosaic bar top 2 km to new home

In a move signalling the beginning of a new era, staff and patrons carried Phog Lounge’s approximately 400-pound mosaic bar top through the downtown.

Beginning at their iconic University Avenue home, about 40 “crawl bearers” took turns lifting the bar by attached rope handles.

Led by Phog Lounge Owner Tom Lucier, the crawl stopped at nearby bars for a drink before travelling down Ouellette Avenue. The bar top travelled about two kilometres to its new home on Erie Street, near Howard Avenue.

“We amended it to crawl bearer. I think this is likely the first bar crawl ever with where the participants bring their own,” Lucier told CTV News.

The Phog Lounge is moving after more than 20 years downtown. Lucier said a new home will provide warm bathrooms and lower rent and hydro costs.

Rather than hiring a moving team, Lucier felt their move provided an opportunity to “break the mould”, something he feels Windsor doesn’t often do.

"Crawl bearers" carry Phog Lounge's 400-pound mosaic bar top through downtown Windsor, Ont. on Jan. 5, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

The mosaic tile bar was installed prior to when Lucier became a partner more than 20 years ago.

“It's really important to, I think, my customers, but also to me to bring the soul of this place to the new spot,” he said.

“We just need 10 to 20 people to take shifts and bring something recognizable to the new space, because otherwise the new space will be antiseptic.”

For those who served as “crawl bearers,” Sunday’s journey was simply Phog Lounge’s latest effort to create community.

Mosaic bar top seen inside Phog Lounge in Windsor, Ont. on Jan. 5, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

As a musician, Tony Coates feels he “grew up” at the Phog through opportunities to perform and host open mic nights.

“They just incorporate so many people with digital art, with musical art, with people who make clothes, people who are doing food pop-ups,” Coates said, standing along Pelissier Street.

“Any kind of art that you have, Phog is the place where it's accepting and a venue that everybody can use collaboratively.”

Coates felt it was important to be a part of Phog’s “pub funeral procession”, which leaves fewer indie options directly in the downtown area. Instead of dwelling on it, Coates is excited about the new era.

“What other bar is going to do some stuff like this?” he said.

“And I keep thinking the walk is going to be long as (expletive), but we go really hard for our family and our people.”

"Crawl bearers" carry Phog Lounge's 400-pound mosaic bar top through downtown Windsor, Ont. on Jan. 5, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

With the bar top in place, Lucier will turn his attention to re-opening the Phog Lounge. Despite the change, the bar owner said he embraces the “new and weird.”

“I like opening new things. I like doing new things, providing new experiences, so for me, I'm not that busted up about it being new,” Lucier said.

Lucier said the goal is to have the business up and running by March.