Closed Tom’s Tavern in downtown Phoenix sends bar items to auction block

PHOENIX — We have good news for those who were saddened by the closing of Tom’s Tavern in downtown Phoenix: You can take a piece of the restaurant home with you.

Numerous items from the longtime bar — including its iconic sign that used to hang over the corner of First Avenue and Washington Street — are up for auction.

Other items include barstools, booths and even the bar itself. There are also some kitchen items, for those who have been hoping to score a commercial gas range stove top and oven on the cheap.

Tom’s closed earlier this month after 87 years in business split between two locations.

The restaurant opened in what had been the old Phoenix morgue in 1929, then moved to its newest location in downtown Phoenix’s Renaissance Square in 1982. It was owned by Michael Ratner from 1982 until 2010, when he died from cancer.

“Tom’s Tavern has a rich history in Phoenix, and has enjoyed serving many of our city’s finest,” owner and chef Jim Gallen wrote in a Facebook post.

The future for the downtown Phoenix space is uncertain, the restaurant officials said in the release, but Gallen “will continue cooking in the Valley.”

Another iconic Phoenix restaurant, Macayo’s on Central Avenue, also auctioned off some of its things earlier this year as it prepped for a move across the street.

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