The Otley Cat restaurant and bar at 1223 Otley Ave. in downtown Perry — long known as the Bally Hoo — has been bought by one of its nearby neighbors, sources tell ThePerryNews.com.
Yanira Del Rosario Sanchez, owner of the Oasis Market at 921 Railroad St., has reportedly entered into an agreement to buy the lounge from owners Nancy and Joel C. Wilson.
Details of the agreement have not been made public, but a spokesperson for Oasis said the Otley Cat name will remain.
The lounge, built in 1920, has a storied history in Perry. It was known for many years as the Bally Hoo and was owned and operated by Bernie Smithson of Perry, who died in 1995. The Wilsons acquired the property in 2003.
Sanchez’s Railroad Street property had a similarly colorful history under the longtime ownership of Raymond “Mutt” Smithson of Perry.
And ahead of Mutt Smithson, it was Bordenaro grocer for many years. Mary Lou Bordenaro Stromquist’s dad ran the store for many, many years.
The Bally Hoo was an ice cream store for many years before the bar.