Almost every week the Buckner Brewing Company and Ragsdale's employees would get together and sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a group during karaoke night.
According to Brewmaster Mike Mills, this tradition had been going for 13 years. Mills said that though the singing faces may have changed, it's the camaraderie that he will miss the most. Mills never thought he'd have just a few weeks to prepare for the end of this tradition.
Buckner Brewing Company and Ragsdale's Pub co-owners Phil Brinson and Mike Sprigg broke the news to the rest of the employees just one week before the doors officially closed on Feb. 3.
"One of the cool things about working at Buckner and Ragsdale's is that this place has always had a family-type atmosphere," Mills said. "We have so many regulars. It's always been such a unique and eclectic place to work. It's the people I'm going to miss."
Buckner and the basement bar Ragsdale's have been downtown destinations in Cape Girardeau since 1998 when co-owners Brinson and Sprigg first reopened the doors of the historic brick building on 132 N. Main St. The restaurant and bar were named after the Buckner-Ragsdale Department Chain Store that the building housed until 1982 and is on the national register as a contributing structure to historic downtown Cape Girardeau.
Mills has been the brewmaster at Buckner for 10 years, and has been employed there for 13 years. He easily is recognized in the microbrewery as the burly guy often wearing overalls and sporting a jovial smile surrounded by a huge reddish beard.
Mills said that when Buckner opened the microbrewery in 2002 it became the only one of its kind between Memphis and St. Louis.
The restaurant and microbrewery became known for Mills' brewed concoctions including flavors like raspberry wheat, honey wheat, porter, amber and pale ale. He spent 50 hours a week at the microbrewery perfecting the flavors of beer.
"Buckner has every aspect of a family," said Mira Pupek, an outdoor recreation major at Southeast who worked at Buckner for 10 months. "We all care deeply for each other. This is not like any place I have worked before. There was no drama and we all treated each other with love and compassion. Even though we are closing we still consider ourselves a family. We partied together. We laughed, we cried and our bond will never be broken."
Pupek said that most of the employees don't have other jobs lined up because they were only given a week's notice that the restaurant was closing.
Brinson and Sprigg put the building up for sale in February through commercial real estate company Lorimont Place Ltd. for the starting price of $1 million.
Mills is hopeful that Buckner and Ragsdale's will sell as a whole. Mills said that within a month or so the owners will start to consider selling the place and the microbrewery piece by piece. Mills said they have already received phone calls about buying equipment and the business itself and he is hopeful a buyer might turn up.
Mills said that over the years he had seen slow times, but he felt that Buckner and Ragsdale's were on the upswing until he was told the news a few weeks ago.
"Sales and production were up," Mills said. "It was a real shock. We've had much slower times. Last year paychecks were iffy. I gave up so others could get checks. I wanted to make this place last, and I know I got paid the most. I eventually was reimbursed. There was a point last year when I couldn't order grains for the brewery. In retrospect, I should have seen the flat tire effect."
Mills said that the businesses sold over 16,000 gallons of their famous beer last year and that Buckner and Ragsdale's are mainly closing because of a tax issue.
According to the Cape Girardeau County Assessor's office, Brinson and Sprigg currently owe $7,674 in delinquent city taxes.
Mary Thompson, the city of Cape Girardeau's finance director confirmed that Buckner is currently behind on their restaurant taxes and the owners did not renew their city business license, which was due Jan. 31.
"The biggest hit was all the money the owners owed tax wise," Mills said. "We really are busier than we have ever been since January. It was all about getting past this tax issue to keep the lights on. People like me who have been here forever are having a hard time. We painted these walls. We fixed the plumbing. Come Monday it is going to be like 'What now?' It is really tough to see it all go."
Local band The Big Idea played at Ragsdale's every Thursday and played at Buckner on numerous occasions.
Band member Will Montgomery said that losing Buckner and Ragsdale's is going to affect the local downtown music scene.
"It's sad to see another downtown institution that features live music close their doors," Montgomery said. "[Buckner and Ragsdale's] were always supportive of independent musicians and artists in Cape Girardeau. It will certainly be a blow to the downtown music scene and hopefully an enterprising individual will pick up where they left off and keep the arts alive in downtown Cape."
"We really tried to keep local music thriving," Mills said. "We have always been a stop for people to get a pint and listen to some good music. The downtown area is going to feel like something is missing for a while."
Mills still plans to brew. He and a business partner plan to open Minglewood Brewery by next fall or winter around Gordonville, Mo.
"My partner has already bought the kitchen," Mills said. "We just need to figure out the paperwork and licensing and hopefully we can start to brew some beer. In my experience you don't have to be a bar to be a brewery. We hope to make this a destination for people."
If the Minglewood Brewery pans out, Mills said that he hopes to tweak old Buckner's recipes at his new brewery, but he doesn't feel right doing the exact recipes as they belong to that part of his career as a brewmaster. He is excited about his future plans but still is saddened to see Buckner and Ragsdale's close their doors.
"This was by far the coolest chapter in my life," Mills said. "I have been here since I was 21. It's like I am part of a family. I just don't want to see it go."
