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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels November 15, 2004 Omar's co-owner going fishing By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings When Don Mercer purchased part of Omar's three decades ago, the restaurant and bar had about the same feel as it did when Omar's opened back in 1946. Don Mercer (right) laughs with friends during a retirement party held in his honor at Omar's Thursday night. Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings "Basically, this is the way it looked in 1974 when I got here," Mercer, 53, said, gesturing around the humming bar during his retirement party on Thursday evening. He pointed out the Formica tabletops - the same ones that furnished the bar 30 years ago - and the red vinyl bar stools. "It reminds me of an old roadhouse. This used to be the highway." Old Highway 99, which stretches past the establishment's front doors, has long since lost its importance as a main thoroughfare, but the white lights on the Omar's roof still beckon people to the Ashland landmark. On Thursday, regulars, old friends, locals and college students streamed into the bar for free food, cheap drinks and Mercer's last official night, which coincided with the 58th anniversary week of the restaurant's opening. The face of Omar's for more than a quarter century will trade the restaurant biz for travel, fishing and new endeavors. "I just decided that time was more important than money," Mercer said. "I didn't want to retire well-off and 70 years old and not be able to do anything." Mercer worked his way back-and-forth through the smoky bar clutching a copy of "Men: Move to Paradise, Find Sex, Love and Money" in one hand and a drink in the other. With every step, another regular clapped him on the back with "Congratulations" and "It's about time." Mercer laughed, tossed out a smart quip and showed them the book, then moved on to the next friend. "It's been a good time," Mercer said. "It's been more than a restaurant, it's been my life. I just want to try something different. If I don't have to make a living off of it, then I don't have to be serious." But throughout the evening, seriousness was not an issue, as the friends Mercer made through Omar's remembered their favorite Mercer moments. "Long ago, Mercer and I were together and a guy came up to me and asked 'How long has your father owned this restaurant?'" regular Tom Windmill said, standing just outside the bar with the multi-colored Omar's sign glinted off his white hair. Back inside, former Omar's waiter Jim Barber chuckled about Mercer's tough side. "My [last] party (of the night) was in the dining room," Barber said, remembering back to the winter of 1977. "They were the only ones here and I was the only one here." With Barber's back turned, the party completely emptied the wine cabinet and left. "Mercer held me responsible and I had to go get it back," Barber said. "They said it was a joke, but I don't think they thought they were going to get caught." Another 58 years "Omar's will survive," regular Tom Windmill said. "It survived before." The establishment now has three owners. Bruce Dwight has been with Omar's since 1978 and James Williams, who started out at Omar's when he was in high school and rejoined the Omar's crew in 1998. Greg Mantle, who worked behind the bar at Omar's for six months in 1986 when he was a student at Southern Oregon State College, purchased the remaining share. "I've always wanted to own a restaurant and this is an institution," said Mantle, who managed Macaroni's and Martino's for a spell. "Coming in, I have two great partners. It was a no-brainer." Mantle promised no drastic changes to the almost-60-year-old establishment. "It'll evolve," he said. "But if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Mercer just hopes the change in leadership won't affect the wallpaper in the restaurant. Years ago, he fought the other owners to keep the red-flocked wallpaper and forego a remodel. "His partners wanted it to go," said Debbie Windmill, a regular who played 16 seasons on the Omar's softball team. "But if it was good enough for 1950 it was good enough for now." Mercer would have replaced the wallpaper, if he could still find the vintage style that gives the dining area the "Bordello Room" feel. A change in the wall-covering, though, is out of the question. "I'd be devastated," Mercer said with a laugh. "I'd be devastated and it'd bring a tear to my eye." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams