Staff writer
Shannon Novak isn’t one to mess around.
After purchasing property that housed Fuzzy’s Place in late April, she opened Rusty Spur Saloon on Saturday, Florence’s first bar since Fuzzy’s went out of business.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Novak said. “It wasn’t a really planned-out decision; it just felt like the right thing to do. And I wanted it to be open before the [Grand Prix].”
Novak, a few friends, and a handyman worked tirelessly to improve the space.
A lot of work was done on the building’s plumbing. The team also resealed the roof.
Saloon decor was brought in Friday.
Besides white brick walls with dozens of names scrawled on them in pen, Novak’s bar hardly resembles the Fuzzy’s of old.
Where Fuzzy’s was more of a sporty dive, Rusty Spur has lived up to its name, going Wild West with its theme.
Bar stools have been replaced by leather saddles; an animal hide adorns the wall.
The front of the building has been painted red-brown and black. Formerly, the brick was a more stoic white, matching the interior.
The space has a woody smell to it. A large poster informs customers that “cowboys make better lovers.” Country singer Sam Unruh is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Friday.
Novak lives on Marion County Lake, having previously called North Dakota home.
“I married a cattle farmer once upon a time,” she said. “I’m not married to the cattle farmer anymore.”
In addition to Rusty Spur Saloon, Novak owns a massage therapy business. She sees 24 clients a week.
“I see a lot of people with pretty gnarly physical conditions,” she said. “A lot of people see me on a monthly or bi-weekly basis to be able to function.
“It doesn’t feel good on my hand, but my heart feels good.”
Novak also works on horses as an equestrian masseuse.
“They work just as hard as we do,” she said.
Novak was a volunteer during Florence’s 2024 Grand Prix, and visited Fuzzy’s.
After the bar shut down a few days later, she knew she wanted to be the one to replace it and inject “some life” back into the town.
“I think it’s gonna be cool,” she said. “It’ll be good for the community, good for tax money.”
The saloon retains a dartboard, jukebox, and pool tables. A big change is that the Rusty Saloon will not serve food, as Fuzzy’s did.
“They had a whole kitchen, which I will not be doing after cleaning the kitchen up,” Novak said. “I’ve decided I never want to see oil or eat a French fry again.”
She aims to find food trucks to come to a parking lot outside the saloon.
Brandon and Katie Hayes, waiting for the saloon to officially open Saturday, said lack of food might present issues for the business’s long-term prospects.
“I hope they eventually get food here, because if not, they might not last,” Brandon said. “Not everybody drinks all the time, and even if you are drinking, you want a fry or a burger.”
Fuzzy’s made most of its money from food sales, Katie added.
“The food was great,” Brandon concurred.
The couple was excited to be two of the first customers inside the Rusty Spur.
Brandon also was one of the first customers inside Fuzzy’s when it opened in 2019.
“They let us sign the wall and everything,” he said.
After the grand opening — a casual unlocking of the front door — a handful of locals meandered inside, poking around the space.
Eileen Hallowell sat down with a Michelob Ultra across from her daughter, Nadine Prouty.
Hallowell lived in Florence for 30 years, though she moved out of town a few years back.
She recalled a bar that preceded Fuzzy’s called Darla’s.
Prouty, who does live in town, said she’d come to check out Novak’s new business and the tweaks that had been made to the building.
“I wanted to see the decor, how it changed,” she said. “The music’s good.”
Hallowell was more aloof.
“I just wanted a beer,” she said.