'We own a piece of Grafton history:' Longtime bar gets remodel

GRAFTON — From old-school dive bar to sleek saloon, a local watering hole in Grafton has found a second life under new ownership. The CC Saloon, formerly the Deluxe Bar, at 893 Main St., will hold its grand opening 3 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. July 26. New owners Jodi Cruz and Jen Corsino gave more than just their last initials to the bar they purchased last spring, Cruz said. The pair, along with their husbands and a host of family members, gutted the space to trade dark paneling and smoke-stained ceiling tiles for new vinyl floors and an open floor space in the small bar. "All last summer we demo'ed," Corsino said, adding they walked into the bar clean and left looking like coal miners from the decades of dust and grime. There were times the sisters felt they bit off more than they could handle, Corsino said — still questioning what she got herself into as the bar's opening day approached. The bar was a dream for Cruz and her husband, and she pulled her sister in as a co-owner. The women are Grafton natives — maiden name Yarish — and grew up on their family farm off state Route 303. The pair do not know when the building was built, Cruz said, but from research at the Grafton-Midview Public Library, it has operated as a saloon since the late 1800s through name and ownership changes. A large print of a historical photo shows downtown Grafton in a time of horse-drawn carriages and train travel. The saloon's front, alongside a hotel and other storefronts, lines Main Street in the undated photograph. Rumors attached to the longstanding bar include famous patrons like Jesse James, a well-known outlaw and bank robber who may have stopped in the saloon before his death in 1882. "We own a piece of Grafton history," Cruz said. Cruz and Corsino hoped to bring the space back to its roots with a western saloon theme and keep its history alive by exposing the original wood rafters and reclaiming other century-old wood throughout the space. The Deluxe's bar was sanded and refinished, its mirror replaced to remain the centerpiece of the space. The sisters and their family gutted the kitchen — which had been closed for some time — and plan to serve burgers, wings, salads and appetizers. An outdoor seating area in the back of the bar is next on the renovation list, Cruz said, but will not be completed by next week's opening day. CC Saloon hours will be 3 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 3 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Hours could change during football season to include Monday nights, Cruz said. For more information, visit @CC Saloon on Facebook. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.