By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — If you feel the Earth move a little on Wednesday, the epicenter might be originating at Rex’s Rendezvous.
That’s when the oldest bar in Koscicusko County goes smoke-free.
The South Buffalo Street tavern has been a mainstay in the bar scene for decades,
It was opened by Rex Watters some 49 years ago. The family business was then eventually run by his son, Robin, and five years ago, Robin’s daughter, Crystal Watters, began managing operations.
Rex’s was known for decades for a rough-and-tumble environment that featured occasional lingerie shows, live bands, and a smoky haze that hung in the air on Friday and Saturday nights as loud rock and roll pulsated out the front door and into the street.
But on Wednesday, the ashtrays will disappear, replaced by signs alerting customers to the change.
In recent years, Crystal has worked to refine the atmosphere to make it more inviting and friendly. The number of fights is now rare, and she’s been known to put the brakes on arguments involving politics and race.
She also started becoming more involved in the community and began to believe smoking had been limiting their potential sales.
Indiana law restricts indoor smoking but exempts certain establishments, including bars.
Earlier this year, she convinced Robin to support a smoking ban.
“I can’t sit here and watch my business, my dad’s business, my grandpa’s legacy, sit empty when it shouldn’t be. That doesn’t do them any justice, she said. “I want to see people eat and smile and drink and enjoy themselves, and if the only holdup to that is cigarette smoke, then it’s time to go.”
The change was announced on the bar’s Facebook page a few weeks ago, and reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. More than 700 people liked the post, and another 300 loved it.
Many of the comments mentioned not liking the smell of smoke that lingers in their clothes after a night at Rex’s.
“That is — by far — the most response of anything we’ve ever posted,” Watters said.
Even before that, Watters said she knew it was the right thing to do.
Most of her customers, she said, did not oppose the idea of a smoking ban and said they’re OK with stepping outside for a cigarette since they already do it elsewhere.
“I knew after talking to neighbors and friends and family and community members that it was the right choice,” she said.
She said she believes the change will result in increased lunch sales.
“Every venue I’ve talked to from the Michigan state line down to south of Indianapolis that has independently pulled indoor smoking, not one of them has had a bad experience,” Watters said.
