Dayton's Old Corner Bar takes a new turn

DAYTON - Times are changing at the Old Corner Bar in historic downtown Dayton. Sharon Ruston is converting the stone structure, built in the 1860s, into an ice cream parlor and video arcade.

"I think, with the DUI limit and sin tax, people's drinking mores have changed," she said. "And we have too many bars here. When a new bar opened nearby, I didn't expect it to hurt my business, but it did."

Ruston thought her business would grow with the burgeoning population in Lyon County, but customers have not been forthcoming from the nearby tract developments. Alcohol alone, she said, no longer supported her business.

"I've been running this bar since January 2001, and my gross is going down every year," she said. "It's a different time."

At 30 Pike St., the bar is a Nevada classic. A wooden boardwalk graces the Pike Street entrance, and inside a dusty saddle is perched on one corner of the large mirror serving as the bar back.

A huge rack of antlers from an elk or deer spreads out over the south wall, and the ceiling is dotted with dollar bills. (Throwing them up so they stick is a favorite sport in state bars.)

Ruston said she's leaving the place pretty much intact, except for an ice cream freezer replacing the beer cooler, and a few problems have developed over that transition.

"I had to file all new plans with health department because I put in the ice cream freezer," she said. "I'm setting a new March 1 target date for reopening, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

The Old Corner Ice Cream Parlor and Video Arcade has been open periodically throughout the winter season.

"For a while, I operated the new business under the old health permit, but at the end of the year, I had to file plans for reinspection, for the change-over," she said. "We've been pretty much closed since then, but when I was open, I had a good response from the people coming in.

"There are so many bars here and nothing for the kids to do," she said.

The ice cream parlor will feature 11 flavors for cones and 26 flavors in the half-pints. The chess and backgammon boards are staying, and in addition to the video games, a couple of board games, like Yahtzee and Scrabble, will be available.

"I want people to feel like this is a place where they can relax," she said. "The arcade will always be supervised so parents can drop off their kids if they'd like."

Originally from San Diego, Ruston moved to South Lake Tahoe as a bookkeeper before buying the Old Corner Bar.

"The people here are wonderful - so friendly, helpful, supportive," she said. "And Dayton still has that small-town feel. A little gift shop and book store moved in right across the street. It's good to see Dayton's downtown area revitalizing itself for some reason other than alcohol."

The parlor and arcade will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 246-7984.

Contact Susie Vasquez at svasquez@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.