Owners Rich Lukasavage and Scott Snider had one heck of a time acquiring the building before opening Hops & Barleys.  Alice Savage, the owner of the building, was a cantankerous old woman who was often difficult to deal with partly due to an onset of Alzheimer's disease. 

     Without a guardian to oversee Alice's affairs, dealing with her was often difficult.  Each time Scott and Rich were ready to sign the paperwork, Alice would suddenly change her mind.  At one point, Alice insisted on keeping all the chairs as part of the sales agreement.  After that incident, Rich and Scott were ready to call it quits.  Miraculously, however, the deal went through, and Hops & Barleys officially opened for business on February 21, 1994.

     Hops & Barleys is one of the few bars around that has a two-tiered bar.  Back in the day, Savage's Bar hosted many burlesque shows in the dining room area.  Patrons sitting at the higher end of the bar were able to view the show from where they sat, while those sitting at the lower level could see the show by looking at the mirrors placed directly above the seats at the higher end. 

     The mirrors are also a handy tool for bar tenders.  Serving patrons can get a bit hectic at times, so the mirrors help bar tenders know what's going on at all times.