The Next Life of Lansing’s Unicorn

By Chelsea Wooton

There are some places in Lansing that people don't have to explain. You say “the Unicorn,” and longtime residents know exactly what you mean. The Old Town bar at 327 E. César E. Chávez Ave. has been part of Lansing's landscape for decades, and this week it opened its doors again. Ashley Sevenski and Bob Fata are the new owners, bringing live music, pool, sports, drinks, popcorn and pizza from Fata's Westgate Tavern back to the space.

It's a new beginning for a place with a long memory. The Unicorn name dates back to 1983, when longtime owner Tommy Malvetis renamed the business after purchasing what was then the Shamrock in 1978. Malvetis ran the Unicorn Tavern for 34 years and became part of the story of Old Town itself. After his death in 2016, the property eventually changed hands, and the bar became the Unicorn Lounge following renovations under Pat Gillespie and the Gillespie Group.

The building got a refresh while keeping many of the characteristics that made the old Unicorn recognizable. The business later closed during the COVID era, leaving the familiar address quiet for several years. Now it's open again. And that's worth celebrating.

Sevenski has said she wants the Unicorn to add to Old Town rather than compete with the businesses around it. That's an important distinction in a neighborhood where the success of one business can help create energy for the businesses next door. The new owners are also putting their own personality into the place. When Sevenski was asked what part of the new Unicorn had her stamp on it, her answer was simple: “The people.”

That feels fitting. A neighborhood bar is ultimately about the people who fill it. The regulars, the musicians, the bartenders and the people who stop in after work, meet friends for a drink, shoot a game of pool or discover the place for the first time are what give a space its life. Those are the things that turn a business into a neighborhood institution.

The Unicorn doesn't have to be exactly what it was in 1983 to remain part of that history. Lansing has changed since then, Old Town has changed and the people walking through the door have changed. That's not necessarily a loss. Sometimes the best way to preserve a piece of a neighborhood is simply to keep giving people a reason to use it.

The new Unicorn gets to add its own memories to the ones already attached to that address. For longtime customers, there will always be stories about the Unicorn they remember. For Sevenski, Fata and everyone walking through the doors now, there's an opportunity to create some new ones. That's the nice thing about reopening a place with history.

You don't have to erase what came before. You just get to add to it. The doors are open again, and another generation gets its turn to make memories at the familiar Old Town address. Welcome back, Unicorn.