New owner to ‘resurrect’ M&M

By The Standard Staff - 02/23/2008

The 118-year-old M&M Cigar Store has a new owner.

Dan Klemann, 45, officially takes over the bar and restaurant at 9 N. Main St. sometime in March.

“We see ourselves as moderators of the M&M,” said Jamie Robinson, 28, who will be the general manager of Uptown landmark.

“We’re not buying a bar; we’re buying an established iconic monument.” Robinson, of Belgrade, and Klemann, of Anaconda, plan to restore the bar to its historic appearance and atmosphere.

“We want to bring it back as a social arena for kids to come buy candy, parents to come over and play their Keno, have a bite to eat and their father can have a beer,” Robinson said.

The men plan to hire staff from previous ownerships and restore old employee uniforms.

“We want to bring it back, so what I’m going to do is put all the employees in the old vintage linen,” Robinson said. “We have pictures of the 1900s attire they wore — little bow ties, barmaid outfits. Every little detail is going to be well-done.” Robinson said he will also redo the upstairs to provide more gaming opportunities and bring back some old recipes the M&M used to serve. He stressed that he’s not changing anything at the bar, just taking it back to the way it used to be.

“Nothing’s changing,” he said. “We’re going to restore it, resurrect it.” Klemann and Robinson, who have been business partners for eight years, were approached by an acquaintance in Bozeman last year who told them the bar was for sale.

“We didn’t think it was true at first,” Robinson said. “We figured there’d be a long line of people who want to buy it.” Robinson said he and Klemann spent time with Bud Walker, the previous owner, before deciding to buy the bar. “He took a liking to us,” Robinson said. “Bud just handed us the baton to take over where he left off.” The men said they expect the project to take some time.

“It’s not going to be something we can do overnight, and it’s going to be tough,” Robinson said. “But when you get my energy and my partner has this older experience mentality, we supplement each other. We’re saving it for the older generation and for the upcoming of my generation.”