Mar-Thel’s Lounge
110 W. 98th Street
Bloomington
Mar-Thel’s Lounge was started by Marv and Thelma Pahl in October 1956.
Not sure to what extent music was an integral part of this establishment, but:
- There was a dance floor, and
- In 1963 Marv advertised for a pianist to lead singalongs.
In 1969, the Mar-Thel’s softball team won the State Championship and competed in the regionals. In 1970 the team was taken over by George’s in the Park.
In 1963-63 Marv was in a pickle when he tried to get a liquor license, newly-available in Bloomington. City ordinance said that his bar would have to be at least 1,000 ft. from a school, and his establishment was only 500 feet from a new school. He was allowed to continue letting his customers bring their own liquor and spike their drinks, however.
In 1975 it was advertised as Mar-Thel’s Pizza Pit.
The Pahls retired and sold the place in 1979. Thelma died in November 1994.
The corner of 98th and Nicollet is now a Holiday gas station, built in 2002.