Ashley Pietrzykowski
Jesse Hawley couldn’t get his flour to market in the early 1800s, having no reliable means to transport the goods. He ended up in a debtor’s prison in Ontario County, and it was from here that he set in motion the building of the Erie Canal.
This bit of history stuck with Ashley and Marc Pietrzykowski, owners of Hawley’s Grove on Lockport’s West Ave. The name of their establishment is an homage to the man who persevered through prison and economic hardship, still managing to affect change even while in the midst of personal crisis. His writing and talents of persuasion led to the founding of Lockport, New York.
About 5 years ago Ashley found herself in a bit of a personal crisis, as well. Having been “involuntarily retired” from a job she held for 26 years, her mind turned to all the conversations she and her husband Marc had had throughout the years about opening their own bar and restaurant “someday.” They had both spent time in the service industry when they were younger, she holding front of house positions and he holding down the back of the house.
At the same time as her involuntary retirement, the establishment now known as Hawley’s came on the market.
“It had been for sale, and then we talked about it a little bit, and then didn’t think about it again, and then we got serious about it after I was retired,” she said. “I had a small pension that was not worth taking monthly installments from, and so that was the deposit for this place.”
Included in the sale was a house on an adjacent lot and an expansive lawn to the back of the property, which was the true selling point for the couple. “The Grove part was super important to us, and the potential to have music and events and other things there was what we wanted to do,” she said.
She and Marc’s history is steeped in music and the arts, so having a chance to give back to this community was especially important to them. They met for the first time in the 1980s as teenagers in the Rochester punk scene, and remained friends for the next 15 years, through moves and life changes.
Marc went on to spend his high school years touring the country with a punk band, and Ashley found herself on the move, from Florida to Georgia and back again. They would reconnect when they were both in the same place at the same time, and eventually realized they should just be kicking it together full time. They then married, beginning yet another path together.
In addition to music, literature also plays an important part in their shared ethos. Marc is not only a published author and poet, but also operates an independent press called Pski’s Porch Publishing and teaches the craft full-time at SUNY Niagara. Inside Hawley’s you’ll find a rotating selection of books in the bar’s library, which is one of the details that helps define this place.
“We’ve often said at parties that this is how we worship, this is church for us. Sharing food and drink with other people, having conversations, sharing books,” Ashley said. “In Ireland, most pubs have bookshelves, and people pull down books and start reciting poetry, and that’s kind of what we wanted for here. The only people reciting poetry here are me and Marc so far, but there’s a potential,” she laughed.
We’ve often said at parties that this is how we worship, this is church for us. Sharing food and drink with other people, having conversations, sharing books.
In addition to the library there is also a robust selection of board games, biweekly trivia programming, and live original music. “We want to facilitate it to be a place where people can do things that are fun, that are social,” she said. “The yard is just a really great place to have music outside, and it’s a pretty place to be.”
Food is another element that defines Hawley’s. It’s where you can find a rotating menu of experiential specials in addition to elevated pub favorites, including things such as shrimp and octopus cocktail for Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Hot Brown for the Kentucky Derby, Gołąbki for Dyngus Day, and Korean corn dogs just cuz. Keep an eye on their socials for this month’s specials, which they promise will incorporate learned findings from their recent trip to Japan.
“Marc is a fabulous cook and loves to explore new ingredients and figure out how to adapt all different kinds of things,” Ashley said. “He wants to make the menu approachable, because that’s one of the things we want to do with this place – we want people to feel like they’re at home, whether it’s their home or somebody else’s home. We want you to feel like you’re welcome here, you matter here.”
we want people to feel like they’re at home, whether it’s their home or somebody else’s home. We want you to feel like you’re welcome here, you matter here.
Although Ashley has now been in Lockport for 17 years, she still considers herself a new kid in town. And although the majority of her time is spent tending to Hawley’s, her kitties Mr. Biscuits & Clarissa, and her pitbull Theo, she still has a great reverence for all of the things going on in this small corner of the world, disregarding the notion that there’s “never anything to do.”
Farewell Transmission opened the season in the Grove this June.
“I’m excited about the fact that we got the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, so I feel like that’s an important step. Lockport has some things that really should be shouted out to the world,” she said. Her list of great things include jewels like the Palace Theatre, the Lockport Community Farmers Market, McCollum Orchards & Gardens, and the Kenan Center, the thriving business community of Market and Main Streets, newcomers like Big Ditch Brewing Company, and of course, a shout out to her fellow bar owners that regularly incorporate live music programming into their offerings.
I think a lot of the people who feel like there’s nothing to do don’t go to places that they haven’t been before, or don’t go to places because they have a preconceived notion about what they are and where they are.
“There are so many places that have music, and there’s something to do all the time, and I think a lot of the people who feel like there’s nothing to do don’t go to places that they haven’t been before, or don’t go to places because they have a preconceived notion about what they are and where they are,” she said. “But there’s always a lot of stuff to do.”
Hawley’s Grove will be celebrating its 4 year anniversary this December 10, with Ashley and Marc continuing to build their vision and sense of place in the community. “Neighborhood bars are an important part of society that’s disappearing,” she said. “They’re one of the only places where you have the potential to sit next to someone you wouldn’t normally meet in the wild, have a conversation, and maybe even strike up a friendship, but usually find common ground. They encourage conversation. They allow for a family of sorts as well.”
Follow Hawley’s Grove on Facebook to stay up-to-date on weekly specials and event programming, and be sure to stop in this summer to borrow a book, hear original music on the lawn, and chat with your neighbors.
Written by Kristy Lock
My name is Kristy and I’m an American journalist, specializing in profile writing. I’ve told the stories of frenetic & fascinating people in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, and my hometown of Western New York for nearly two decades. Feel free to drop me a line! I would love to hear your story sometime.
Photos by Kristy Lock. Shot on site at Hawley’s Grove, Lockport, NY. Full photo set can be found on Flickr.