Favorite expat hangout sold

RIGA - Riga's first Irish pub, Paddy Whelan's, which opened to immediate success in 1995, has been sold to newcomer Dickens Pub.

Late last year when Dickens swung open its doors, across the street from Paddy Whelan's, word got around like a speeding bullet.

From what was once the place to meet and greet the English speaking community in Riga, the Paddy Whelan's staff had to see many regulars walk by and into Dickens. Dickens Pub holding company SIA Evins earned enough money to lay down a bid on Paddy Whelan's last week. Paddy Whelan's owners accepted and handed over the keys. Now Paddy Whelan's is undergoing a slight cosmetic transformation inside and is closed.

"There will be a little change in the interior, but the atmosphere will be the same," Dmitry Ananiev, bar manager in Dickens Pub and Paddy Whelan's, said.

All the tables and chairs downstairs have been removed, and carpenters are drilling, sawing and banging. The idea is to make the pub seem "more Irish" inside with a paint job in more typical Irish colors, like orange and green.

"One of the two entrances will be closed to leave room for a couch, which will run alongside the wall," Ananiev said. "There will also be more seats available when the remodeling is over."

Ananiev vowed that prices will remain the same when Paddy Whelan's reopens in a month. Upstairs won't see any changes yet. However, Ananiev did not rule out some changes next spring.

Andrejs Grikke, director of SIA Evins, confirmed that there are no plans of turning Paddy Whelan's into something completely different.

"It will remain Irish, but better, when we open again in three or four weeks," Grikke said.

Grikke doesn't know who he is working for. Who owns Dickens Pub and Paddy Whelan's is veiled in secrecy. Grikke said he did not know who owns it, only that "there's private capital involved, and is only working there." Still, he did know that whoever they are, "they want to bring Dickens Pub's success into Paddy Whelan's since it was going bad."