Bridgeport didn’t take kindly to Maria Marszewski when she took over Kaplan’s Liquors in 1987. The wives of some of her earliest customers at the then 48-year-old tavern and packaged-goods store weren’t pleased to hear reports of the lovely new lady tending bar.
Her Christlike approach won over Bridgeport gangbangers—some of them not of drinking age—who would regularly boost whole cases of beer under her nose. “Next time he come, I hugging him. I never yell,” Maria says. “I say, ‘Sweetheart, next time you really want something, you ask me and I will give it you. You young. You can’t drink, but I will buy you anything you want. Just don’t steal. Live an honest life.’”
Catching up with the Danny behind Danny’s in Bucktown
Bernice never imagined she’d be running Bernice’s Tavern
Rosa of Rosa’s Lounge brought the blues to Logan Square
How Alice of Alice’s Lounge went from beautician to bar owner
