Blanche was my boss. Her name is still on window in corner same like was before. In Poland, I was like a private business company manager for store that sell many things. When I came here, I did not know how to tend bar. Not so much, anyway. But I was looking for job. I stop in and I ask Blanche. And she say all right and I start work. I was bartender for Blanche from 1980 to 1992. Since then, I am owner and bartender.

When Blanche gave me bar I say I no want to take this place because I was ready to move to Florida. I was so tired and I thought I go there and relax and warm up and then she give proposition for me. And she say, "You take it; you know everything; I give you--long time you'll be happy." (Laughs.) And we talking, talking and I think all right, I try. It was very hard at first. Almost every equipment was old and was lot of repairs. It was so hard for money and I also pay loan. But now things is okay.

I do good business. I don't give credit. I give one or two free drinks sometimes, that's it. And I make money. I survive. A little bit better maybe now than last year. Better than five years ago. Bar is strange business. Sometime go down and up again like that. For a long time, I not have tables because tables take a lot of space. And people was coming and standing and drinking. Now people coming and looking for table for comfort. So I have tables and more people coming in.

The most popular drink now is vodka. I have almost every kind. Absolut, Stoli, Polish Vodka. I get new stock all the time. Vodka and a little bit Jack Daniel's is most popular. Then maybe beer. When I buy the place, it was just bottle beer and then I see customer asking about draft beer, draft beer, draft beer, and I not know much about draft beer, and I trying, looking, and I get it from distributor. Is very good. Is good people drinking. I like beer but I can't drink it because my stomach no good. For me, I drink just brandy, cognac, because I can't take on my stomach.

I work from five o'clock at night to four o'clock in the morning. I also must do many things in the daytime. Before I work seven days all the time. Now sometime, I sick and stay home. For help, I have just coming Marco. He help me with difficult things like pipes and also help behind the bar. Sometimes somebody else just coming just a few hours, not much. Sometimes my daughter come be bartender. But I don't have much help. Every day, I do a lot. So hard for me.

A typical day here--I clean up, I check it out how bottles, and check refrigerator working. Doing ice and then put hot water in sink. Sometimes must take delivery. Nothing special. I turn lights, I look for everything. Ice box is working and water running. Sometimes pipe is broken in basement but Marco will fix. Is like just control everything, okay? Clean up something on pool tables. Many things. Sometime I don't like to do nothing. Just want to go home and sleep. Sometime I am happy here.

This neighborhood is the East Village, New York City. Since I come here in 1980, neighborhood has changed much. Bar has not changed so much. When I started working here, it was quiet on the street. Then later coming more people to bar, many people, people with skin heads, tattoo and everything. Later go fighting with police. People in Tompkins Park and in the street. Much fighting with police. Was a lot of trouble. Was so hard. Much watching all the time at the door somebody crazy be coming. It was a riot. Much people was afraid. I was afraid for myself. If somebody want to destroy you, they destroy you even if you nothing do bad.

For a long time, whole street was fighting and sometimes we close early. One time I finished my shift like two o'clock nighttime, and I walk few blocks home and I see from park coming big bottles and was many people on the street. I afraid because bottles fly, and then I came back to bar very fast and we close the bar. We give people safety. Not just customers, but regular people from outside, people from street who come inside. We give them safety all night from fighting.

And also one time, was almost full bar and I was watching on register and I just hear somebody yelling and I look and guy is close to me, and I say "Get out of here!" And he say, "No! I no go, because somebody want kill me!" I say, "Go out from bar!" And he coming behind bar, and he say "I no go because they kill me!" And I looking in window and I see skinny heads and then this guys coming to me close to bar, and start fighting with bottle. And they say, "Get him out and we go." Then people in bar all say, "Lucy get him out! Get him out!" And you know, I thinking like people at first. But then I look at this guy and I don't know. I think maybe it was bad idea, and I think if I get him out, they really can kill him, you know, he can much be hurt. So I say, "No, we no get him out." And he stand behind my back and these guys come back again and broke many bottles from bar. And customers call to police and emergency come and take him. I was really afraid.

This was seven, eight years ago, I think. Is much better now. I never have a bouncer here. I not scared like that. Sometimes from street somebody crazy comes in, but my customers have been nice to me. They help me. I love it these people help me. With bouncer, it is never peaceful. It start more fighting with men going to argue, man for man, and going to start fighting. And if I am saying something, small woman saying something, nobody fight with me and people polite. Was a bar one block from here and there was all the time three bouncers there, strong guys, and go many bad things and place long time ago is closed down. You must control and be responsible about everything.

If I see somebody coming drunk, I say go to sleep, no drinking more. I cut them off. I say get out or else I get police. I must do that because some people can make hurt for nice people. Some bad people. So I am nervous. Must watching all the time, must keep eye all the time on situation. Even pool table must observe all the time also, because it is a game but people like fighting. Pool table can be a lot of fighting. Must observe all the time, keep eye all the time.

I no have a latch on bathroom because I watching, must watching, because never know, maybe somebody have in pocket something. And I no have lock on toilet because I no want somebody to stay long time and do bad things. I no have a problem with drugs here because I am nervous. I watching, must watching, you know, because in New York a lot of people use these things. Not a few, a lot.

I think my bar is good thing because I no serve people too much. I control my customers. I don't like if somebody's had enough and I be pushed for one more. I don't like that. And before, I was like I never drinking. I was abstinent. But now, I feel I need alcohol a little bit, sometime like medicine for myself. Sometime I drinking a little bit cognac and is feel better--of course, not much. If you control, is good. If you drinking time after time is no good. If you drinking outside is not so good. I see in park people drinking from gallons, and is not good. But in my bar or different place is nice, and people not drink that much--one, two, three drinks and have a little bit fun with table with pinball, music, I thinking is very good idea. A bar is good for society. Especially for young people.

I hear a lot of confessions. Sometimes I listen. Not all the time. I no have the patience. Almost everyone wants to confess special feelings between men and women. Some guy's broke up with girlfriend and boyfriend. And most is confession made by men. Can be very sad men. A few years ago, so beautiful, a boy, after education, after study law, broke down, coming in here, and I see he is looking bad, and I was talking, listen. How going on? But it is not easy to help, and some guys later, they went party, and maybe take too much, and find him in the house, already dead, very young maybe like twenty-nine. Drugs. There is many things like that I heard. But also people fall in love here many times. People get nice and sweet in my bar.

When I am not working, I just rest, nothing more; I no have the power. When I not here, I am nervous. I am thinking. All the time my head is in my place working.

My daughter sometimes works for me as bartender. Sometime a few days, sometimes one night if feel bad, or few hours. I like it if she working because she very honest girl and people like her and she like working. But also she go to school. I don't propose to give the bar to her. I don't care about keeping Lucy's in my family. Not really. I no thinking much about this. Plus it's not my building, I renting. I wish I own, but this is not possible. I no have a plan for future and I don't know. If I feel bad, I don't know, I no have the power of thinking what will happen later. I have ulcer longtime. I am soon finished because I am working too hard. My stomach bother me all the time and then my nerves is gone and my head and my body. Today I working, it's okay. Tomorrow, who knows what happens?

I love people. I very much like to serve people. And really I am happy. I no thinking I make a lot of money or something, I just think--nice people, I love it. I like the best working with people. My language is not much, my English, but people are so nice and see I not understand something and they come and help me explain, and I love it these people. I hear many opinions. A lot of people know me in New York. Sometime, I no think somebody know me and then I see they do. So many people know me. And I am happy and then I not think I am small woman.

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TO ARCHIVE