'Worst customer' fulfills dad's wish
<p>Bob's 21 Club owner Bobby Wilhelm looks over a table top that was recently renovated with historical artifacts encased in resin as part of a makeover of the bar on Friday at the bar's Post Falls location.</p>
<p>Rex Atkinson of Post Falls lines up his pool shot on Friday at Bob's 21 Club in Post Falls. Adorning the walls behind Atkinson are license plates from every state as well as historical photos from Kootenai County and the surrounding areas.</p>
<p>A unique perspective of Post Falls is found all along the bar top as customers sit on top of hand-made bar stools on Friday at Bob's 21 Club.</p>
<p>All of the table tops at Bob's 21 Club are adorned with historical artifacts and memorabilia encased in resin.</p>
POST FALLS — Bobby Wilhelm took what his late father told him to heart.
"Before dad passed he said, 'Bobby, you're mostly to blame for the bad reputation for Bob's 21 Club; now you've got to clean it up,'" Wilhelm said. "And he was right."
Bob's 21 Club, which will celebrate its 50th year next year as one of the area's oldest family-owned businesses, gained a rough reputation in the 80s and 90s.
"Fighting, cops chasing me through the place, poolstick fights, cocaine on the bar, after-hour parties," Wilhelm said, summarizing the themes. "I was the worst customer dad ever had — without exception."
It's been a hard reputation to shake.
"Every time a story was repeated, it would keep getting bigger and bigger," Wilhelm said.
So Wilhelm, who owns the bar with sisters Tina Swanson and Keva Wolfe, went to work this summer on a remodel in anticipation of the 50th anniversary and to fulfill Bob's wishes.
Wilhelm made 10 eclectic resin tabletops that contain mementos ranging from trading cards to toy railroad tracks to souvenir spoons from yesteryear incorporated.
"There's something for everyone in these," he said. "Hopefully they bring back memories for people to think about."
Wilhelm solicited the trinkets through social media, scoured Internet sites and shopped at thrift stores.
"I think that I started to look like a bag lady," he said. "But I didn't want the traditional sports bar look."
New custom barstools at the bar have wheels as the base, license plates from all 50 states dating as far back as 1926 line the walls and a lighted road map with Post Falls street names is under the bar. Old beer signs from the early years of Bob's 21 Club are lit above the bar. Wolfe assembled photos of local history, and an old rotary pay phone is available for patrons to use.
"The first gas pumps in Post Falls were on the corner of Bob's 21 Club," Wilhelm said, referring to how the bar has been a part of the city's historical roots.
At the front of the bar are patrol car lights and an Idaho State Police license plate with No. 579 — both from the unit of the late ISP Trooper Sean Daly who died two years ago.
"He was a lifelong friend who did not judge," Wilhelm said softly.
Herman Hartley, from Hauser Lake and a patron since 1974, said the remodel along with more food items have been well-received.
"I really like the way he has it set up because it's different," Hartley said. "He's put a lot of effort into it, which would make his dad proud. It's still a working man's bar, but it feels more like a home away from home now."
Wilhelm had his self-described "reign of terror" and drug-dealing years that are chronicled in his book, "Bobby Convict: School of Hard Knocks." After he was released from prison, Wilhelm cleaned up and sold automobiles in addition to running the bar. He now sells real estate.
"I haven't had a drink for 18 years," he said. "Now I put up with people who used to be like me."
Post Falls police Chief Scot Haug said when he first became a police officer in the late 80s he recalls responding to the bar at least on a weekly basis and sometimes several times a week.
"These were not minor altercations," he said. "They were knock-down, drag-out fights."
But Haug said police have not responded nearly as much to the bar in recent years.
"It's really been a breath of fresh air," he said. "Management has worked with us to try to reduce problems."
But one thing that has never changed at the club — and it never will — is the 25-cent pool tables.
"Dad said to never change the price of the tables and to act like you're running for mayor shaking everyone's hands," Wilhelm said. "He said, 'With your nefarious past, that shouldn't be a big deal for you.'"
Wilhelm said the remodel is not only a tribute to local history and patrons who have stuck it out to support the bar over the years, but also to his family, which is a household Post Falls name. Bobby's father was one of 11 boys in his family.
"At one point, if you weren't related to a Wilhelm, you were having relations with one because there were so many of us," he said.
Wilhelm said he believes consistency in family ownership has helped Bob's 21 Club weather the storm at a time when some bars are struggling. He hopes the remodel will help patrons reminisce for years to come.
"I really wanted to make it a hometown-themed bar," Wilhelm said.