Merrimack Valley Magazine

Generations – Side-By-Side

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Horseshoe Grille Owner Pat Lee Jr. Reflects on Lessons Learned From His Hardworking Parents.

From the time he was a young boy, Pat Lee Jr. had a job to do at his family’s business.

Every Sunday, his North Reading family would attend Mass at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church and then head back to The Horseshoe on Main Street for an afternoon of chores. Lee and his siblings helped — washing down shelves, sweeping and cleaning under the booths.

While his parents, Pat Lee Sr. and Veronica, couldn’t have foreseen that Lee Jr. would continue the family business one day, it was expected that the children would pitch in and help when needed.

While Lee was a high school senior, the legal drinking age in Massachusetts dropped to 18 years old. The first day the law went into effect, a Sunday, instead of heading out with his friends, Lee went to work. He took his first shift as a bartender at the Horseshoe. It was a day he’ll never forget, he says with a laugh, as the regulars threw drink names at him and kept him guessing with their orders.

“They were busting my chops,” Lee says.

 

His father stood down at the other end of the bar, enjoying the show, he adds.

“He was teaching me a little bit of a lesson,” Lee says. “He humbled me pretty quickly with throwing me to the wolves.”

It’s one of the countless lessons Lee learned from watching his father run the Horseshoe, which he took over about 36 years ago.

“He was revered,” Lee says of his late father. “He related well to the working man because he was one of them.” 

Although his son later transformed the old ’Shoe into a popular “polished casual” establishment known for American fare and barbeque, the elder Lee had no interest in frills. His pub sold one menu item, a ham and Swiss sandwich on rye bread, which sold for 95 cents and came with a pickle.

“It was monstrous,” Lee says. “You could hardly get your hands around it, never mind your mouth. There had to be close to a pound of meat on it.” 

The native of Ireland came from a hardworking background and led a simple life, Lee says. “He treated everybody with a very high degree of respect and cared for them.” Lee recalls the night a local business burned down. The firefighters were still on the scene extinguishing the blaze when Pat Lee Sr. showed up and handed over a roll of cash to the fire victims to help them get back on their feet.

At times when he was growing up, Lee recalls, he didn’t see his father as much as he would have liked as the elder Lee was always at the restaurant. “When I started working at the Horseshoe,” Lee says, “that’s when I got to know him the best. We were working side-by-side, it was great.”

After Lee took over the Horseshoe from his parents, his father remained a welcome figure.

“I called him Bartender Emeritus,” Lee says, “There was always a place behind the bar whenever he showed up.”

Before the pandemic hit, his mother, Veronica, 93, visited the restaurant weekly, dining with friends and family. 

“She keeps her finger on the pulse of things,” Lee says.

The Horseshoe began in 1926 as an apple cider stand. After Prohibition ended, the Horseshoe became a social club. In the 1930s, owner D. P. Murphy’s nephew John Twomey took over The Horseshoe. In 1955 his niece and nephew, Pat Lee Sr. and his wife, Veronica, purchased it. In 1960, Lee Sr. tore down the building and replaced it with the “old” Horseshoe Lounge familiar to a previous generation. 

When Pat Sr. and Veronica were ready to retire, Pat Jr. was looking for a career change after spending a decade in corporate sales. He and Kathi, his wife, also a North Reading native, moved back to their hometown in 1985 and became the next generation to run the Horseshoe. The business celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, and while it’s still too early to know if Lee’s children, Jaclyn and Brian, will take the reins, the business is well positioned for the future, Lee says. The family isn’t afraid to change with the times.

“We can’t get stagnant,” Lee says.

Horseshoe Grille
North Reading, Mass.
(978) 664-3591
HorseshoeGrille.com

Genuine Connections

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Bell Tower Management Looks to the Future of Lawrence  (sponsored)

Gary Sidell, president of Bell Tower Management in Lawrence, didn’t grow up in his father’s business. That man, Chet Sidell, founded a women’s clothing manufacturing company in 1975. At its height, KGR (named after three children’s initials) supplied business to over 50 New England factories, where garments were produced for Talbots, Ann Taylor, Nordstrom and other retail outlets. At their home base in Lawrence, he’d repurposed old mill buildings for warehouse and office space. 

“At the time, people thought my dad was crazy,” says Sidell, “But in retrospect, he was a genius because of how much he was ahead of the curve.” Lawrence had the reputation, back in the day, as the arson capital of the world. So, investing in those spaces was risky business for Chet. This was before our region’s mill buildings became a national success story and grew to be associated with economic vibrancy.

The same risk-taking zeal that birthed the company would be called upon after it ended in 2001 and the family moved on to new opportunities. Gary had only been in the business for 7 years when the pair made the difficult decision to leave the garment world. With half-a-million square feet of vacant space at the time, and no knowledge in real estate or construction, he recalls what followed: “Well, we’ve got a mortgage and taxes to pay. We better start renting.” 

Though the journey would include an initial 5-year period during which they didn’t turn a profit, Gary is thrilled they persevered. “There were nights where we were like, ‘what the hell are we doing here? Let’s just sell and get out.’” But they didn’t. And the new venture would eventually provide much more than just an income. 

 

Chet also had an altruistic drive, and he’d fostered that in Gary. They started renting to nonprofits they knew and cared about, like Lawrence Community Works and Groundwork Lawrence, then expanded over time. Having made it through this major challenge, part of their mission would always be to give people the chances they deserve with a focus on up-and-coming businesses. “Some of those people took a small office 10 years ago, and now employ 30 people and are in over 12,000 square feet,” says Gary. 

Running the business two years after his dad’s passing, the junior Sidell is still influenced by his mentor. He maintains the commitments his father inspired: to the community, to helping others: “It’s never been about simply collecting a rent check on the first of the month. I enjoy helping people get connected, grow their business or maybe find another donor for a nonprofit I care about. And I definitely got that from my dad.” 

That passion for supporting up-and-comers is much of the force behind 60 Vibe, the coworking space Gary owns and manages. Since COVID, the reinvention lessons learned on his father’s side have been paramount. 60 Vibe features private rooms equipped with mics and cameras for podcasting and multimedia communication, and computers that are loaded with editing software. 

The father-to-son focus on community is seen in Gary’s upcoming projects. In 2021, one of Lawrence’s busiest intersections will get five stories of living and retail space in place of a half-century-old parking lot. Gary is part of a team of local developers working to combat decades of disinvestment downtown. They care about Lawrence and want more people to stay after work. 

Gary’s business life might be summed up as such: He can stand in a building he owns, which houses Lawrence’s first brewery, remembering how excited Mayor Dan Rivera was about the opening, and walk next door to the clean room of Alpha Tau Medical, an organization working on a cancer drug that could have located their headquarters anywhere in the U.S. but came to Lawrence because Gary learned from his dad the importance of genuine connections.   

60 Vibe houses traditional workplace comforts such as private conference rooms and printing services, as well as the tools and equipment to launch a career in web design, videography, photography, music and sound engineering, and other fields.

Bell Tower Management
Lawrence, Mass.
(978) 375-7363
BellTowerManagement.com
60Vibe.com

Generations – The Last of the Main Street Tailors

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At Shaban’s of Andover, Fine Clothing is a Family Affair 

Almost 20 years ago, Shaban Catalbas introduced his custom tailoring skills to the downtown Andover area. Today, Shaban’s of Andover is recognized throughout the region as the one-stop shop for high-end menswear and tailoring. 

Shaban, Mr. Catalbas, is a master tailor, developing his expertise over 50 years.  He began tailoring when he was a teenager and worked as an apprentice under the tutelage of his uncle in their home country of Turkey. For five years, Shaban honed his skills, learning how to cut, sew, iron and craft fashionable menswear. His training was thorough, and the young tailor was soon ready to make his move to the United States. 

In 1982, Shaban started at Hickey Freeman manufacturing facility in Rochester, N.Y., and later moved to another men’s clothing facility in Lawrence, Mass. Shaban wanted to be creative but unfortunately, the factory work was monotonous.  He describes tailoring as an art, but factory work didn’t allow for creativity. 

“I found out I’m not a factory person,” he says. “I’m a tailor. I don’t want to sit with a machine and do the same thing all day.” 

 

Shaban’s of Andover represents the sort of family tradition that is becoming increasingly rare. Shaban Catalbas, pictured above, has over 50 years of experience and once apprenticed under his uncle in Turkey. His son, Zafer, pictured standing next to Shaban at the top of this page, is following in his father’s footsteps.

So Shaban left the factory and started working as the head tailor for a men’s specialty shop in Burlington, Mass.  After 16 years, he left that shop and opened his own business. 

In its early years, Shaban’s of Andover was a tailor shop that was initially located on Chestnut Street. As Shaban’s found its footing in the Merrimack Valley, the store dipped its toes into retail by adding men’s and boys’ suits, and even some women’s wear. The Chestnut Street location was a good start, but Shaban was determined to earn his Main Street spot. 

“We did OK with the Chestnut Street location, but I had to be here [on Main Street],” says Shaban. “In the tailoring business, people will come and find you, but in retail, people need to see you.” 

In October 2015, Shaban’s of Andover moved to its current Main Street location. With an optimal spot for foot traffic, a growing inventory of high-end fashion and expert tailoring, Shaban’s enjoys a growing list of loyal customers.  He attributes his success particularly to his master tailoring skills and insists that he is the best in the area. 

“There aren’t too many good tailors anymore,” he says. Clients from all over the New England will drive miles for Shaban’s expertise; some clients flying in from as far as Washington D.C. 

Shaban has brought together a great team for the store, by adding retail experts and more tailors.  Shaban’s continues to thrive and add new clients. He compliments his son, Zafer for adding to the store’s success; he is a tremendous help in running the store and keeping clients happy. Customers appreciate the intimate, family-oriented feel of the shop, and the father-son duo make sure to build strong, long-lasting relationships with their customers. 

Shaban’s hosts customer appreciation parties almost every year and invites his customers to this gesture of thanks, and the participants are treated to hors d’oeuvres and delicious Turkish baklava. 

“They love it,” Shaban says. And it shows. Although the business has still taken a hit from quarantine, the store’s cliental have stood behind them. 

“The [pandemic] isn’t making things easy, but customers have still been coming in to support us, and that’s huge,” says Zafer. “The community wants us to survive. They benefit from us being here, whether it’s for our retail or our tailoring.” 

Regardless of what obstacles the store may face, Shaban and his team will still be working six days a week, bringing high-end menswear and tailoring for those who need it. 

“I’m here, my lights are on and we are working. That is the most important thing,” says Shaban Catalbas.    

Shaban’s of Andover
Andover, Mass.
(978) 475-5996
ShabansOfAndover.com

 

 

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