Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Parsons.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ben. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My family started working on the Plymouth Waterfront years ago in 1918 when my fathers side of the family started the John Alden Gift Shop. Since then it has passed on to my father and then to my older sister. Over the years we locked in a few waterfront properties and have had from gift shops to ice cream stores. When my father retired ( for the first time) I was 5 years old and he moved my mother my little sister and I down to Venice, Fl. Where I would live until I was 21. I had started tending bar down south after high school and it was always on my dad’s bucket list to open his own bar.
So after many “family meetings” and conversations, we decided to pack up and move back up here in October of 2011. After living in a rock basement at my grandmother’s house for about 7 months while remodeling one of our existing properties on the waterfront, we finally opened The Pillory Pub July 16th, 2012. My mother came back up for summers to work here and sometimes even my little sister came up and worked with us. It’s a very close-knit family type establishment.and most of our employees have become family as well.
After getting married in 2014 to my beautiful wife (who started as a part-time bartender here) my mother and father retired “AGAIN” back to Florida. Since then my wife and I have been running the pub daily with the help of an amazing manager and a great staff. We look forward to many more years!
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting out we were definitely a little nervous opening up being a bit of a walk from a lot of the bars in town. But we quickly came to find that we fit our own little niche down here on the water being a “must stop” on the walk between downtown and town wharf.
Also being a seasonal bar in downtown Plymouth, once we closed for our first season we weren’t quite sure what people would think about that. Would they come back? However, we quickly came to find that when we opened the doors after that first cold winter being cold, all the familiar faces started flooding in. It has now become the ” Sign of Spring” when the pub opens.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Well, we are a family run establishment that focuses on having fun! Whether you pulled up on your bike or just hopped off the boat for the day you’re in for a good time. That was one thing my father and I always envisioned, just a place where anyone can come in and feel like family. We have a great selection of craft beers with 16 on draft as well as a seasonally changing craft cocktail menu.
Our kitchen is light pub fare with soups, salads, sandwiches and our Hot Dogs are a must have! We also feature retracting windows on the front of the pub that open up to a view of the Plymouth harbor. Doesn’t get much better than sitting in a rocking chair in front of the windows enjoying the view with a hot dog and a cold brew!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Since moving back to Plymouth the town has been amazing. Everyone has been very welcoming and the town itself was great to work with. This place is thriving, in the few years, I’ve been back here it’s just growing and growing.
There are tons of great places to get a drink or grab a bite to eat in town, but that’s what makes it great. We all have our own niches and our own approaches on doing things. Being a part of the downtown Plymouth bar industry has introduced me to some awesome people that I consider great friends.
Contact Info:
- Address: 72 Water St Plymouth MA, 02360
- Phone: 774-283-4086
- Email: b_parsons13@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_pillory_pub/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Pillory-Pub-246995885340566/
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