The Tonka Alano building was originally built in 1920 and was operated by Frank and Ann Philbrook as a grocery store and was called Philbrook’s Store.

 

In 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, they built a bar room onto the backside of their grocery store and operated both the store and the bar until 1943. They then sold the store/bar to Mel and Muriel Jensen who operated it for only a couple of years.

 

In 1945 the Jensen’s sold it to Charlie and Olga Ward. The Wards changed the name to Ward’s Store and operated it until 1959 when they sold it to Paul and Bernice Ostrov. The Ostrov’s changed the name to Paul’s Store. A guy by the name of Roger Rager then owned it and sold it to Tonka Alano in November 1988.

 

The bar you see in the Tonka Alano clubroom today is the original bar the Philbrook’s installed in 1933. When they sold their bar business in North Minneapolis they took the bar out of that building and stored it until the repeal of Prohibition.

 

Kind of ironic, isn’t it?