Is Peeve's Worth Saving?

by The Editor

If you were asleep all day yesterday, then you probably haven't heard that Peeve's is in trouble. This was posted on Facebook and has since caused an outpouring of tweets:

When Peeve's first opened, it filled a void left by Fresno Brewing Company, a place we gave a bad review to but then Mike Schnauz ended up liking. Peeve's did all the things that FBC did well, and didn't do any of the things they did poorly. We've poked fun at them, sure, and will continue to do so, but Sny and I really have a lot of respect for Peeve's. It's a place we haven't reviewed because it's a place that's too easy to review.

That being said, is Peeve's worth saving?

In some ways, yes. Peeve's is the darling of the downtown community, and rightfully so. Craig Scharton opened Peeve's because he recognized the importance of having a spot like Peeve's or FBC to revitalize downtown and it also allowed him to move beyond lip service for his support of downtown and turning Fulton Mall into Fulton Street. Because of this, though, the success of downtown is directly tied to Peeve's. If other potential business owners see that a place as beloved as Peeve's can't make it, then why would they try to open up downtown?

But then again, are we really responsible to go to Peeve's every time it's in trouble just because it's in trouble? Shouldn't we just be flocking there because it's a great place? Is this Peeve's fault or is it a result of downtown not being quite revitalized enough? What happens if they get the turnout they need? Will we have to flock back down there in a few months when it's in trouble again?

I don't have the answers to these questions. I'm going to head to Peeve's a few extra times this month. I hope to see you there. But I don't know if I can do this forever.

I just don't know.