The Bar that ATE Olde City

This is the bar t-shirt I’ve been waiting for. The monster is strange, the lettering is unique ,and the subject is engaging without being complicated. I’m also relived that this isn’t a shirt that says “Property of Sugar Mom’s” on it, or have a silly little logo in the breast pocket area. Most Irish Pubs shirts have letters in some sort of Celtic style but because of this they become standard and end up looking boring. Most people realize that a Paddy’s shirt is no different than a Brownies’. Now, Moms’ shirt has nothing standard about it. If another bar has a t-shirt with a disaster scene on it I will be forced to consider it a rip-off.

What’s the reason for this scene anyway? Is it to scare the good citizens of Old City in to drinking at Sugar Mom’s because Sugar Mom’s is a hungry beast? Maybe the shirt tells everyone that the patrons of Sugar Mom’s enjoy 1950’s style horror movies. Marvel, at the tentacles whipping around the periphery of the bulbous batboy head. Cringe, at the super creepy shadows created by its black and white design. If you want a bar t-shirt with an original design run, don’t walk to Sugar Mom’s but beware of THE THING THAT ATE OLD CITY.

Woody's Tees

Woody’s the bar/club on the corner of 13th and Walnut has a kind of merch table. It’s a glass display case with t-shirts in different styles. It’s nice idea ,but I couldn’t get a shirt. The bartender told me he didn’t have a key to the case and to come back at four. I came back at four. Still no shirt. They told me to come back at night and that made sense because at night Woody’s is a humpin’, pumpin’ and bumpin’ club and that’s when you’d get a t-shirt. I returned the next night and didn’t go in because Woody’s is a humpin’, pumpin’ and bumpin’ club and the line was too long.

Some of those shirts were pretty cool too. One said “Woody‚Äôs” all Sailor Jerry-style inside a ribbon, across a red heart. The rest of course had a sports theme. I came back to this place three times and still didn’t get a shirt. Maybe Woody‚Äôs has the best t-shirt because you gotta work for it.

Speaking of the 90’s it was super cool to be Irish then. House of Pain was the bomb, henna tattoos were made into shamrocks, and no one bar hopped Рthey pub crawled. If you lived around Center City Philadelphia you’ve probably crawled to Fergie’s Pub @ 1214 Sansom Street. I stepped into Fergie’s to check out their t-shirt.

The t-shirt is a black, cotton, Jerzees brand short sleeved shirt. The front has a 3″ x 1″ logo on the left hand side that says Fergie’s Pub. I personally don‚Äôt like the small logo off to the side, it reminds me too much of a uniform. The best part of the shirt is really the back. I love graphic tees with the graphic on the back! I‚Äôm going to wear this shirt when I have to go to crappy bars. You know – crappy bars that have too much light and too many televisions. I‚Äôm going to sit at the bar with my back to everyone and show that I drink at a better bar through my shirt.

Although the purpose of this shirt is to be an advertisement, I have no problem displaying a 7″ x 11′” image for a good bar. Fergie’s shirt does a good job being an ad. The three repeating shapes on back are Celtic Knots that draw the viewer to the name of the pub. It‚Äôs easy to read the address and phone number under the ancient Irish symbols, because it‚Äôs just white printed onto black. This shirt doesn‚Äôt look unique, but from what I understand Celtic Knots were used as a charm to ward off sickness. Maybe if I wear my new shirt while drinking a forty it will ward off hangovers.

Fergie’s Pub
1214 Sansom St

Bob's Happy Hour

A t-shirt is a piece of Art. The graphic tee is a powerful piece of art in America. A t-shirt can be a billboard for a business or organization. In the 7-UP campaign in the late ’90′s the slogan was : Make 7-Up Yours. Then oops, something must have gone wrong in the Ad Department. On the front of the shirt it says “Make 7″ but on the back it just says “Up Yours.” In the case of the “Stop Snitchin’” shirts in the early 2000′s a t-shirt enraged whole communities and made people question how much they trust the police. Don’t underestimate the power of a t-shirt as art.

I went to Bob’s Happy Hour at 2301 Frankford Avenue to review their t-shirt. The shirt says Bob’s Happy Hour on the front. The white on hunter green makes a good contrast. The Notre Dame fighting Irish leprechaun brings the whole Irish American theme together. If I get some orange pants I could stand next to any St. Pattys’ Day float. The leprechaun is the focus of the design. His turn of the century bare knuckle boxing stance gives the viewer a sense of motion. The texture of this cotton shirt is incredible. When it was sold to me I was told it wouldn’t shrink and I believe it. Wearing a t-shirt with this type of knitting makes me feel like I could repel lazer blasts.

One of my favorite forms of artist expression is repetition. The name Bob is repeated twice. Once on the front in the name then again on the sleeve. The sleeve simply states in cursive “In Loving Memory of Bob Harris.” This brings me to the coolest part of the shirt. There is a big white number 19 on the back! The 19 does double duty as a players’ number and as Bob Harris’ birth date. Bobby Harris was a good friend of the Philadelphia Phillies and former owner of the bar. Bobby played with the Phillies during training. There are photos in the bar showing him in his uniform throwing his famous pitches. The true beauty of the shirt is in the sentiment. Sure, the oversized logo makes it unique but it’s not just a wearable sign for a bar but memorial for a recently lost family member.

Bob’s Happy Hour Bar
2301 Frankford Avenue