"Little
Tavern" by Paul McGehee. "Buy 'em by the bag" was the motto of Harry F.
Duncan's chain of Little Tavern hamburger shops. Beginning with the
success of the first one which opened on March 24, 1927 in Louisville,
Kentucky, Little Tavern shops soon sprang up on urban street corners
throughout Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. They were
designed to be a place where one could get a quick bite to eat in those
early days of the new phenomenon known as "automobile tourism". At one
point there were close to 50 locations up and running, serving the best
little burgers around...heaven sold in white paper sacks. For many
years, their tiny grilled hamburgers were only a nickel each!
Little Taverns became popular meeting places in Baltimore and D.C.
where friends could get together on their stainless-steel barstools to
share some good times over burgers, fried eggs, hash browns, cold
drinks and "good coffee" (as their signs said). They were open 24 hours
a day...there are many tales of fathers-to-be being sent out at 3am to
buy a bag of Little Tavern burgers to quell the cravings of their
pregnant wives! Despite their being a restaurant "chain", the Little
Taverns felt like "locals joints"; a no-frills throwback to simpler
days. As years wore on, however, competition from larger fast-food
chains eventually drove the Little Taverns out of business, the last
one closing in 2008. Many of the iconic tavern buildings have long
since been lost to development, where others whose buildings survived
have been re-purposed into privately-run coffeeshops, donut stores and
the like. The little burger joints of yesteryear are a fond memory of
many.
This particular Little Tavern was the one located in the Clarendon
section of Arlington, Virginia. It was built in 1941. Click HERE
to see a photo (taken by the artist) of what this location looks like present day!
"Little Tavern"
is faithfully reproduced from Paul's original color pencil drawing as
an archival quality print issued in a strictly limited edition of only
500 pieces, each hand-signed by the artist.
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