Michigan’s Smallest Bar Only Holds Four Customers

It's already being called “The Smallest Bar in Michigan” - a 140-square-foot establishment in Muskegon that will only hold four customers and the bartender.

This tiny building sits dwarfed next to Rootdown at the corner of W. Western Avenue and 2nd Street. It will be operated by the Peoples Cider Company, whose proprietors Jason & Kate Lummen already run another small bar in Grand Rapids that has a capacity of 41...but the one they're planning in Muskegon beats it as far as smallest.

The Muskegon City Commission okayed a liquor license on March 28 and the spot chosen is one of the tiny chalets found in Muskegon's Western Market location. There are 17 of these little chalets, and businesses come and go. So if this new bar is successful, will it hang around and survive off its four-customer fame as “The Smallest Bar in Michigan”?

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Taking his cue from a tiny alley bar in Key West, Florida, Jason was quoted in Mlive that having Michigan's smallest tavern would be a great word-of-mouth gimmick. “It’s going to be Michigan’s smallest bar, so I’m looking to market it that way.” When asked why he wants to put it in Muskegon, he stated “It’s my kind of place. It works for us. It’s just a breath of fresh air. In Muskegon, it’s, ‘Why can’t you do it?’ Not, ‘No, you can’t do that.’”

The city of Muskegon seems to be truly geeked on this tiny new bar , which is scheduled to open this summer. To take care of any overflow – and with an inside capacity of only four people, it's inevitable – there will be a few stools and picnic tables nearby where customers can enjoy their hard cider and other drinks, either outside or while walking through the district.

Any businesses in these little Muskegon chalets are required to be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so that obviously includes the bar which might stay open 'til 9 or 10 pm. When the bar opens, take advantage of it while you can; the proprietors hope to find a more permanent location sometime in the future...and it'll probably be larger...

Here are a few photos to show you what to look for...

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