Victor’s, the longtime Milwaukee nightclub embraced by many locals for its unfussy vibe, lively atmosphere, dancing, and strong cocktails, has a buyer.
Vic Jones, who has operated the bar and dance hall at 1230 N. Van Buren St. for the past 25 years, told BizTimes Milwaukee this week that the longtime haunt is under contract to be purchased.
The news comes just two months after it was
reported that the nightclub had been publicly listed for sale.
Vic’s father Victor Jones, who founded the business in the mid-1960s, died in 2021 at 91 years of age, leaving sole ownership of the business to his wife Mary Ann Jones.
Mary Ann is 92. Her decision to sell the bar after six decades of family ownership — one made under the guidance of another family member — is understandable considering her age and the difficulties the business has faced in the wake of the founder’s death and other setbacks, like COVID, Vic said, but it’s a move that not all of the family’s seven siblings agree with.
“We have been there for 60 years. I am 68 years old, and you'll see me there closing four nights a week,” Vic said.
Listed for sale at $1.9 million, the property and business are now under contract for sale for an undisclosed amount. Should the sale go through, it would include the tavern’s single-story, 5,280-square-foot building, all furniture, fixtures, and equipment, and an adjacent 24-space surface parking lot, according to a Colliers property listing. Built in 1966, the building sits on a 0.44-acre lot. The property has an assessed value of $1.1 million, according to city records.
Vic and his brothers, who still work at the nightclub, had put together a proposal to purchase the business and building themselves, but negotiations ultimately fell through, he said.
The buyer has until Sept. 1 to complete the purchase, Vic said. He declined to name the buyer.
Fred Williams, who is the husband of Vic’s eldest sister Karen Wiliams, and the trustee of Mary Ann’s estate, has been working with Colliers on the sale.
Williams confirmed that the business and property were under contract but would not confirm the purchase price or the length of the contract.
The de facto spokesman for the sisters of the family, Williams said the siblings want to sell because they are looking to retire. Although Karen Williams only worked at Victor’s briefly when she was young, her sisters spent many years running its kitchen.
“Everyone has been working in that bar for 30-35 years, and they want to retire,” Williams said. “They are all in their late 60s or early 70s.”
Saying goodbye
With a sale looming in the distance, Vic said the plan is to operate Victor’s over the summer with the anticipation that the business as it exists now, will cease operation on Sept. 1. That means turning back the clock a bit and celebrating the establishment with a bit of nostalgia and plenty of fun.
“From now on – for June, July, and August – we are going to have memorabilia parties and ‘say goodbye to Victor’s’ parties,” Vic said. “We're going to do the things that we did 20 years ago, when we had a kitchen and theme parties.”
The bar is already kicking off those celebrations, Vic said, with a disco night on Wednesdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., and then live jazz in the evenings on alternating Wednesday nights.
“It's a different thing for us. We're trying to create those types of reasons to come visit us over the summer,” Vic said. “And then on Sept. 1, I would imagine that the deal will be done and then this guy will lease it to someone else. I'll be done running it and they'll change it, I would imagine…We're going to make the best of it. We're going to take the high road on this.”
