Little Annie’s closed its doors for the final time Sunday, much to the dismay of locals and visitors alike.
Aspen Public Radio’s Barbara Platts takes a look back at the last 44 years of the restaurant with people who have held the place dear.
Glasses clinked together all weekend long as patrons said goodbye to local saloon Little Annie’s for the final time. Regulars bellied up to the bar, many sharing stories about the early days. Steve Saunders was one of them.
“Friday afternoons used to be called shot wars,” Steve explained. “We used to come in here after getting paid and it would be construction workers from one end of the bar to the other end wanting to buy a shot and a beer for everyone. Gosh darn, you couldn’t even drink the last one and someone would be placing another one in front of you.”
Another regular, Ronnie Factor, said this is the first bar he ever walked into in Aspen after moving here with a couple of friends in 1973.
“I walked in here and the bartender and owner bought me my first Budweiser,” Ronnie recalled. “He said, ‘welcome to Little Annie’s, welcome to Aspen.’ So it became my home.”
Regulars like Steve and Ronnie have many a story up their sleeves, but are sworn to secrecy on most details, a tell sign of a place with extremely loyal customers.
Opening its doors in July 1972, Little Annie’s was the creation of David and Judi Topol.
“We were young and inexperienced and didn’t know any better. It still amazes me that we were able to accomplish what we did,” Judi said. “We started looking around for something to do and, of course, in our young minds we aren’t going to look for a job … we are going to open a business.”
Judi said from the start it was about home cooked meals and friendly hospitality. Many of the recipes on the menu came from her upbringing.
The couple owned and operated the restaurant for almost two decades. When David passed away in 1990, Judi sold the restaurant a year later. The establishment has switched hands numerous times, but Judi said every owner was passionate about the place, which is why it stuck around this long.
The most recent owner, Rohn Fleming, said another part of the restaurant’s success has been the loyalty of the customers and staff.
“Ya, we adopt them all,” Fleming joked. “I’m real proud of the staff. It’s like my family. I’ve got people who have been here for 30 plus years. For people to have that kind of longevity, it says a lot about the place.”
Bartender Rick Meyer started working at Little Annie’s right after he moved here in 1984. His wife, Nancy, began five years after him. Neither are sure what is next for them as far as employment.
“After 33 years it’s kind of like my life,” Meyer said. “We are going on vacation and then we might just hang out for the summer. I don’t know.”
Rohn considers a place like Little Annie’s necessary for this town.
“It’s upsetting and I hate to see it go,” Fleming said. “I think Aspen needs a place like Little Annie’s.”
He’s not the only one. Longtime locals say it’s the end of an era.