For West Ashley bar, it’s what’s outside a decades-old safe that’s the real treasure
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
For decades, the old metal safe sat just to the left of the entrance of Gene’s Haufbrau, looking like something straight out of a movie set. It was such a fixture that many people didn’t even realize it was even there, just beyond the wire West Of Free Press and Charleston City Paper newspaper racks.
Dating back more than 70 years, Gene’s Haufbrau is one of the most historic bars in all of Charleston, staking claim to being the oldest tavern to operate continuously in the same space. Founded by Eugene “Gene” Phillips in 1952, it was initially known as Gene’s Lounge before becoming Gene’s Haufbrau. After Phillips’ passing in 1974, Randy Mills took over the iconic Avondale bar until the owners of Vickery’s purchased it in the early 2000s. For at least since then, the safe has been locked tight at the entrance of Gene’s, serving as an unofficial landing place for empty pint glasses, unsolicited business cards and event flyers.
Jason Stalker, one of the members of the Vickery’s ownership team that purchased the bar, took over full proprietorship of Gene’s Haufbrau in 2014. Then, last year, longtime bar manager Liam Tyrrell became a co-owner along with Stalker. Both remain regular fixtures behind the bar at Gene’s.
In an Oct. 11 Facebook post, Stalker and Tyrrell announced that they wanted to get rid of the safe in order to make room for a merch case but admitted they weren’t too keen on spending close to $500 to have the lock picked just to find out what was inside. The announcement stoked excitement among the regulars, who speculated what could be inside. As the mystery built, Stalker and Tyrrell decided to host a community event around the unveiling, raising money for the Carolina Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
On Thursday, Oct. 23, dozens of regulars packed the bar for the big reveal. People gathered and ended up swapping stories previous about good times at Gene’s. Jokes about Geraldo Rivera and the infamous Al Capone’s Vault event were bandied about, with few actually expecting an actual treasure or anything of value to be inside the safe.
“Maybe there will be some cool, old paper work or something,” Tyrrell hoped.
“Maybe there will be some vintage porn or old ‘weed’ magazines,” Stalker joked.
Larceny Bourbon sponsored the event with a special drink and food menu. Dion Ingram and Schellie Williard, the daughters of former owner Randy Mills, even showed up to see what was inside the safe. Williard joked that it was probably old traffic tickets. Ingram said her father loved collecting $2 bills, and maybe there was a cache of them inside.
The event turned out to be a reunion of sorts, with several longtime regulars retelling old yarns about playing in bands that performed at Gene’s, Oktoberfest parties of yore, the old “dance floor” days, and remembered regulars and employees who are no longer with us.
By the time of the big reveal, it didn’t much matter to anyone inside the building that the safe was empty, save an old plank of wood. What was really discovered that evening was a sense of community and the realization that the real treasure is Gene’s itself and the people who have frequented the bar for the last seven decades.
