By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A bar along East State Street that has been shuttered for about a decade could reopen as a dual business with a laundromat on one portion and Latham Tap’s third location on the other.
Latham Tap owner Colleen Kowalski thinks the concept will be a good fit for the former Fatty’s Dance Shack, 4846 E. State St., which closed in summer 2014 and was previously Hard Times and Stash O’Neil’s. She’s developing plans to open Latham Tap East on the site.
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She said the side-by-side bar and laundromat business is reminiscent of what she and friends would do when she was younger and living in the Chicago suburbs. Back then in Palos Hills, they would gather to throw in a few loads of laundry in the wash and then step next door for a pizza and beer at Henry’s Pizza.
“It was where we all hung out,” said Kowalski, who is also a dental hygienist with Tuneberg & Associates. “It brings back memories for me when I was younger, and I think it’s something the community can use.”
The concept exists in other parts of Rockford, too. For example, 5 Alarm Coin Laundry and Jo-Jo’s Pizza & Pub operate side-by-side on South Alpine Road.
The building that housed Fatty’s has been boarded up since a burglary at the property in March 2015 led police to discovering 1,000 marijuana plants inside, according to news reports. Court records show the building’s owner, Gregory Allen Kowalski, pleaded guilty in February 2017 to one count of possession of more than 200 cannabis plants and was sentenced to 48 months probation. Colleen and Gregory Kowalski divorced in 2011, according to court records. He still owns the building under Kowalski Investments, and she would purchase it if the plan for the new business moves forward.
“I know that place has a history, and it’s not seen really well. I’m trying to revitalize it,” Colleen Kowalski said. “I want to bring back good thoughts of that area, rather than that memory that drags everybody down.”
Latham Tap, 2402 Latham Road, is a neighborhood bar and grill on the city’s North End with roots going back to 1939. Latham Tap West, 4213 W. State St., opened in 2008. Colleen Kowalski bought the business in December 2022.
“I was very blessed to be able to walk into to a place that is established,” she said. “I would like to continue that concept over to the east side.”
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Colleen Kowalski said she was approached with an opportunity to purchase the building, but that is still contingent on several things falling into place, including financing and approval from City Council. The city’s Liquor & Tobacco Advisory Board gave the proposal unanimous approval on Wednesday, sending the matter to aldermen for consideration.
Alderman Frank Beach had raised concerns about security at the future bar, saying that he expected clientele along the busy East State Street would be different from the neighborhood vibe of Latham Tap.
“You have a different clientele going over there than you have on Fulton Avenue,” Beach said. “It may have the same name, but it’s a different location and different clientele.”
He also asked for assurance that there would be separate entrances and divided space at the laundromat and bar in the 10,000-square-foot building. Kowalski has agreed to do so.
She will also be required to build a sidewalk along East State Street in front of the property.
City officials say there have been past proposal to revitalize the property, the most recent of which was a plan for a hookah bar. Despite approval of the hookah proposal, the plan never came to fruition and the space has remained vacant.
Kowalski said there’s no timeline for buying and renovating the space to open Latham Tap East. That will be developed if the City Council approves the proposal.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas