After it looked like Dan & Louis Oyster Bar might close late last year, the owner says Portlanders stepped up to support them.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland institution that just months ago was on the brink of closing has now managed to bounce back from the edge. Michelle Wachsmith, owner of Dan & Louis Oyster Bar, said a nearby Old Town revival helped save the more than century-old restaurant.
The oyster bar is tucked into Ankeny Alley, just steps from the Paris Theater. Wachsmuth said that back in October, business had slowed to the point where she feared the restaurant would not survive the holiday season.
“I literally didn’t think we were going to make it to Christmas,” Wachsmuth said. “I had enough money to pay the last payroll and hire a bankruptcy lawyer.”
Wachsmuth said watching the business dwindle was heartbreaking and made her question whether people still cared about classic American fare.
“I kind of felt like maybe the oyster bar was just a dinosaur,” Wachsmuth said.
But the bar’s fortunes began to swing back in November, when the Paris Theater reopened as a can-can show. Wachsmuth said the renewed foot traffic brought some customers back to the area.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of people before and after the show, especially after,” Wachsmuth said. “People come in and they just love it.”
One longtime customer said the Dan & Louis is her favorite.
“The food here is unbelievable,” said Ferna Hicks of Camas. “I’ve been coming here for 52 years because it’s the only place I’m totally in love with.”
Wachsmuth said foot traffic in Old Town is vital for business survival, and that success in the area benefits everyone.
“We’re happy to see any business do well down here because when one does well, we all do well,” Wachsmuth said.
She is also urging the city to find ways to bring more people downtown, including expanding the Portland Saturday Market to Sundays.
“If you could have Saturday Market running on Saturdays and Sundays, you’d have the whole weekend for people to come down to Old Town,” Wachsmuth said.
For now, Wachsmuth said she’s grateful for the community support.
“Thank you, Portland,” Wachsmuth said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Since the last time KGW spoke with Wachsmuth, she said a chowder program originally created to help people losing SNAP benefits has shifted to serve people experiencing homelessness.
