Doobies, Beloved Bowie-Themed Bar, Aims for Spring Reopening
Doobies, the legendary David Bowie-themed pub in Fitler Square, is aiming for a late May or June reopening after being shuttered since October due to liquor licensing issues.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board requires businesses to renew their licenses every year. According to state records, Doobies’ latest license was issued in November 2022 and expired in October 2023.
Owner Patti Brett told The Fitler Focus that the delay stems from “messy tax issues” with the PA Department of Revenue. Complicating the matter is the fact that the license is in her mother’s name (her mother previously owned the pub). “So I need to change that too,” said Brett.
A Famed Fitler Watering Hole
Patti, and Doobies, has achieved legendary status among Philly’s bar scene. Philadelphia Magazine awarded her best “Bartender to Befriend” in 2023. A 2018 profile in The Inquirer is a meditation on Patti’s dedication to her patrons, to David Bowie, and to the pub itself.
It all started in 1976, when the bar was known as Slicker Sam’s. Patti and her mother Joan went in for a post-concert drink. A year later, after the bar changed ownership and took on the name Doobies, Patti began working there. Two years after that her mother Joan bought the place. Finally, Patti took over full-time management in 1985.
Patti, a lifelong David Bowie fan, started receiving Bowie-themed artwork and memorabilia shortly after his death in 2016. “When David left us in 2016, my refrigeration man knew how much of a fan I was,” Brett explained. “He purchased this really lovely painting for me. I didn't know what to do with it. So I put it up on the wall in Doobies and that in turn started all these people [doing the same]. Anything that's up on the wall that has anything to do with David Bowie was a gift.”
In addition to running Doobies, Patti is the mastermind behind Philly Loves Bowie Week, an annual week-long celebration of Bowie-themed art and performances. Since 2017, the celebration has raised funds for pediatric cancer research. So far, the event has raised over $65,000.
A Tumultuous Pandemic Rebound
This latest liquor-licensing closure adds to the pub’s difficult post-COVID run. “We shut down the day before the city did,” recalls Brett, of the original 2020 closure.
She soon pivoted to offering cocktails to go, which was hugely successful. But when the state’s COVID-19 emergency order expired in 2021, she was no longer allowed to offer drinks to go.
Doobies didn’t reopen to the public for indoor visits until March 25, 2022. “It’s such a small space, I didn’t feel it was safe. The space was too small to social distance, so I didn’t let anyone in, ” explained Brett.
The pub remained open until October 2023, when its liquor license expired.
Fitler Square Roots
Brett has been embedded in Fitler Square for over six decades. “In the 70s it was a working-class Irish neighborhood,” she remembers. “The city was different than it is today. I don’t want to say ‘seedy,’ but that’s kind of what it was.”
She recalls that outsiders were not particularly welcome in Fitler Square. There were a smattering of bars, “a tight-knit community, and a lot of abandoned gas stations.”
“It’s gentrified about five times at this point,” she laughs. Only one neighbor is still on Doobies’ block that Patti can remember from the 70s. “I can only think of one neighbor that lives across the street that's still there. Mrs. Close lives right across the street from us on 22nd Street.”
Though she’s worked at the pub in some capacity for 48 years, Patti has mixed feelings about retirement. “I’m 68 years old now. I need both my knees replaced,” she said. “But I’m not ready to retire yet. I enjoy what I do.”
From the Community
Are you a board game enthusiast, or curious to try something new? You’re invited to the first weekly “Skookle Board Game Meetup” on Wednesday, May 1st. The meetup will be held at Human Robot Brewery (2401 Walnut St). If you're planning on attending, please RSVP here.
As a longtime friend, I can easily attest to Patti's greatness as a human being. Doobies is an institution. May they 'live long and prosper'.