By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
A pair of downtown Otsego businesses are closing their doors for good, the owners announced via social media on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Liquid Note—a brewery and live-music venue located at 119 E. Allegan St.—and Maude’s Taphouse (117 E. Allegan St.) will close following the Creative Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Both businesses are owned by the mother-son duo of Linda and Mark McPherson.
In an interview with News 8, Mark McPherson said he was “devastated” by the closures.
“You put your heart and soul into something and create something from scratch,” he said. “You look around and you try not to shed a tear.”
Maude’s Taphouse, described on its website as “a comfortable, family-friendly environment featuring 41 rotating drafts and fresh, delicious food,” opened on March 14, 2014.
“The restaurant carried a 1940s theme representing the hard-working community that made Otsego the city to be proud of for almost 200 years,” the McPhersons wrote in their closure statement.
The McPhersons said that the past five years following the mandated COVID shutdowns have “certainly impacted our ability to regain success.”
“In reality, less disposable income has affected so many individuals, (and) the trend to spend less and stay home to save more has affected businesses like Maude’s,” the McPhersons wrote. “Sadly, the lack of revenue has made it impossible for Maude’s to continue.”
Given the success of Maude’s prior to the COVID shutdown, Liquid Note—then known as Liquid Note Brewing @ The Arpeggio—opened for business on Feb. 1, 2019.
The venue offered both indoor and outdoor concert spaces, along with its “musically infused brews” that sought to pair just the right beer with various musical acts.
“Liquid Note was created to offer a downtown entertainment destination, incredible experience for its customers and a premiere performance venue for musicians,” the McPhersons wrote. “During its short history, Liquid Note hosted hundreds of local soloists and many internationally known bands—a true variety collage.”
Liquid Note was also known for its open-mic nights and blues jams.
“The first 13 months recognized rapid growth,” the McPhersons wrote.
Then came the COVID restrictions.
And after Liquid Note’s official reopening on its second anniversary, the business was hampered with a ruptured pipe in its sprinkler system. That caused an additional three-month shutdown.
In 2023, Liquid Note built a new outdoor stage and, a year later, expanded the space to accommodate 1,200 people.
“We added a convenient bathroom trailer with air conditioning, sinks and flushing toilets,” the McPhersons wrote. “We also transformed the former dentist office building into a modern green room, including changing rooms for the bands.”
Despite those efforts, however, attendance never reached the levels the McPhersons were expecting.
“The lack of revenue generated at events is simply no longer sustainable,” the McPhersons wrote.
But while Maude’s and Liquid Note will soon go dark, the McPhersons are not exiting downtown Otsego altogether.
Rather, they plan to focus their energy and attention on Mac’s Place, located on N. Farmer Street.
Originally opened in March 2021, Mac’s Place announced via Facebook on Sept. 10, 2022, that it would be “closed for a period of time while we regroup and try to find kitchen staff.”
“Stop in to see Mac’s Place, starting the evening of September 26 and during the Creative Arts Festival,” the McPhersons wrote.
