Larry Holmes' Hopes to Reopen Pub in Time for Birthday Celebration

By Christina Georgiou

Larry Holmes hopes to reopen his pub, Champ's Corner, by early November in time to celebrate his birthday there, he said Monday evening after gaining approval from the Easton Zoning Hearing Board to do so.

"I'm going to be 63, and I want to celebrate my birthday in it," he said.

Holmes will be returning to the site of his former restaurant, Ringside, in one of the buildings on land he developed and owns located along the riverfront near the forks of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers.

While it's the same space he used to occupy, the building's location in the flood plain necessitated a special exception to allow the restaurant use again, which the board unanimously approved after a short discussion.

Because the buildings, which Holmes had built shortly after becoming a  world heavyweight boxing champion, were designed with their proximity to the waterfront in mind, flooding isn't really a problem, he testified.

"One of the things we did when we built the building..is we put steel pallets in the ground and raised the building above the flood zone," Holmes said. "We've had three or four floods since then, and the parking lot got wet but we never had any problems."

With the zoning hearing board approval, the only hurdles the pub faces in reopening is permission from the state for its liquor license to be transferred back to the site and for the city to issue plumbing and electrical permits for contracting work to be completed, along with a certificate of occupancy from the city when the work is done.

Holmes said he expects there will be no issues with the liquor license transfer and hopes it will be accomplished within a couple of weeks.

"It shouldn't be a big problem," he said. "I've never had any liquor problems."

The ministry Holmes' daughter was running out of the space has already relocated to the neighborhood center in Southside, Holmes said, adding that the space was a bit overwhelming for the small congregation anyway.

Champ's Corner will employ about nine or ten people, and the employees in the former Ringside location will probably all be new hires, Holmes said.

"They'll all have to say, 'welcome to Champ's Corner', or they won't have a job," he said, adding that he wants the atmosphere to be welcoming and friendly.

He'll leave most of the day-to-day operation to managers, he said, though patrons will see him there from time to time, much like at the former Ringside restaurant and at Champ's Corner when it was in Southside.

And, as attached as he is to the restaurant and the buildings he owns, he's not ruling out selling them either.

"If someone offers me enough, I'll sell it," he said. "I've been in it since 1979."

Holmes added that another grandchild, Chase Marinelli, was born Sunday, and he'd like more time to spend with his six grandchildren and three great-grand children.

"His father says he's going to be a big boy and play football," Holmes said of  the latest addition to his family. "But I said, 'what about the boxing gloves?'"

Relocating Businesses Get Sign Approval, Historic District Commission Needs New Member

Two Easton businesses that are relocating got approvals to hang their shingles at their new locations Monday evening.

Champ's Corner, the restaurant and bar owned by former world heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes, is moving from Canal Street in Easton's Southside neighborhood back to the location of the former "Ringside" on Larry Holmes Drive in Downtown.


Easton Historic District Commission members look at
a picture of the "Champ's Corner" sign on Larry Holmes'
iPhone Monday evening.



After a brief discussion, the Historic District Commission approved the same sign that hung at the Canal Street location, with minor changes.

"If we could paint the raceway, I think it would be more appropriate," said historic consultant Christine Uhler.

The "halo" sign, which features lettering that is illumimated from behind, is considered to be appropriate for the city's historic district, but Uhler said the raceway depiction in the background was somewhat distracting.

Holmes, who admitted the sign has already been hung, agreed to have the sign painted to better match his building's terra cotta brick.

"I don't think that would mess up how it looks," he told the commission.

Holmes hopes to reopen the establishment as soon as possible, but will need to get plumbing and electrical permits to complete  necessary work, along with a certificate of occupancy from the city, noted codes department director Cindy Cawley.

"No public goes in there until you get your zoning permit," Cawley told Holmes.

The Game Gallery, currently located on the 200 block of Northampton Street, has fewer hurdles to overcome to reach their goal of relocating to 315 Northampton Street by the end of the month.

The shop also was granted approval for its planned sign Monday evening, though little comment was heard from the board.

The Game Gallery's new space is larger and the shop hopes to expand their offerings and also hold gaming events for customers, owners said.

In other matters, the city will be seeking a new member to replace Lynne Holden, whose term expires at the end of the month. Since the commission only meets once a month, Monday's meeting was Holden's last.

Holden said she chose not to accept another term on the commission  but resigned instead.

"I was very torn," she said. "But it just was time."

Holden served six years on Easton's Historic District Commission, which oversees and seeks to preserve the historic achitecture and atmosphere of the city's Downtown preservation district.

It is unclear if there are any applicants to fill the now-vacant spot, which are appointed and approved by city council.

Holden said she did suggest a possible replacement, though she declined to identify the person explaining that she's uncertain whether the person will apply for the position or not.

She added that her recommendation is by no means a guarantee of approval and said that she hopes more than one person applies for the vacancy.

The city has not yet advertised to fill the position, but it's expected that city council will discuss the vacancy shortly.

Those interested in applying to serve on the Historic District Commission should contact the city clerk's office at 610-250-6731  for more information.

Easton City Council to Mull Parking Changes Again

By Christina Georgiou

More tweaks to Easton's parking laws may be on the horizon, as city council members said they will be discussing the possibility of adding changes to city ordinances at their workshop meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Councilman Jeff Warren, who heads the council's public safety committee, said he'd like to discuss possibly drafting a "Lazy Double Parking" law similar to a recent ordinance enacted in Allentown.

"I think it could possibly help with some of the problems we've had," Warren said. "It could give our police another tool in the toolbox."

It was unclear if the law would apply to delivery trucks or those loading and unloading vehicles, or what the amount of any possible fine for double parking might be.

In Allentown, an additional $100 penalty is assessed for lazy parkers or operators of double-parked vehicles that are adjacent to  an open public space. The Allentown law, enacted last month, also established escalating fines for repeat offenders.

Councilwoman El Warner said she'd like to discuss the possibility of adding motorcycle and scooter parking spots in Easton's Downtown district.

"I ride a scooter, and I hate to take up a whole spot," she said, adding that while many do it, parking scooters and motorcycles on the sidewalk is illegal.

Likely not on the list for the October workshop meeting is an issue brought up by Mayor Sal Panto of cars that park in the parking lot just off of South Second and Ferry streets.

Panto said a number of cars that have parked near the five-story office building next to Bank of America during off-hours have recently been towed.

He added that he feels warning signage is inadequate, and that the building's owner is using a towing company located in Forks Township that doesn't keep evening or weekend hours, meaning those whose vehicles have been towed sometimes can't get them back for days.

Panto said at least four people have complained to his office about the situation, and some were from out of town, making the problem especially inconvenient and costly.

But because the property is privately owned, there's not much the city can do about either the practice or the choice of tow company, opined city solicitor William Murphy.

"I almost want to say, when Larry Holmes comes back (and reopens his restaurant at the adjacent Ringside Pub location), I want to park on their side and get towed and see what happens," the mayor said.