ROGERS PARK — Longtime manager and part-owner Renee Labrana no longer works at the Glenwood Bar after a dispute with co-owner Colm Treacy, leading some customers to boycott his collection of neighborhood bars and restaurants.
Treacy, who owns nearby MorseL and Sidecar Bar, said outside the Glenwood Thursday morning that he hopes his customers come back.
"I hope they understand business is business," he said, but declined to elaborate on what happened. He said the dispute didn't play out in court.
The Glenwood, MorseL and the Sidecar will remain open and are "running just quite fine," Treacy said.
T's Bar, which Treacy opened in Uptown 12 years ago, was shut down by the Cook County Sheriff's Office last week after building owner Julie Mai claimed Treacy hadn't paid rent for months.
Treacy confirmed Thursday that T's would not reopen.
News spread Wednesday afternoon that Labrana had been fired from the Glenwood along with Rick Nyman, a longtime Glenwood bartender.
Nyman said ownership of the bar, at 6962 N. Glenwood Ave., had been in dispute between Treacy and Labrana, who had opened the bar in 2008.
He declined to say exactly what happened, but said Treacy had plans to take over the bar on April 15.
He called Treacy's move a "pre-emptive strike."
"It's been nerve-racking and stressful for eight months. I'm a little relieved" now that it's over, Nyman said over drinks at nearby bar Parlour Wednesday night.
More than a dozen Glenwood regulars were there, too.
"I'm heart-warmed by the outpouring of support by the community," he said. "It was Renee's bar. She was the blood, sweat and tears."
Some regulars, such as Julio Perez, said they are boycotting Treacy's establishments.
"They pulled the rug right out from under us," the 30-year-old Perez said.
The Glenwood "was Rogers Park's 'Cheers,'" he said, referring to the popular TV show.
Wednesday afternoon, Perez helped start a private Facebook group called "Friends of Renee." Within a few hours, it had garnered more than 300 members, some of whom expressed disdain for Treacy and support for Labrana, who was on vacation in Mexico and did not respond for a request to comment.
Some regulars said Labrana is looking to open up a bar of her own in Rogers Park.
