Last Chance Bar

**Det1952** · September-12-10, 12:22 PM

Last Chance Bar

Does anyone remember the Last Chance Bar at 8 mile and Woodward, on the S.E. corner?

**gsfseng1** · November-28-10, 12:48 PM

I remember the Last Chance Bar however I never went into it. I did work next door at a motorcycle shop called Motion Honda.

**Lowell** · December-03-10, 07:13 AM

Placed in wrong forum -- moved and bumped.

**EastsideAl** · December-03-10, 12:02 PM

Nice spot. Just ask Leon Spinks.

**Hornwrecker** · December-03-10, 12:43 PM

Attachment 7942
wsu/vmc

**Al Publican** · December-03-10, 01:59 PM

Anyone ever catch some strange at the Last Chance? At this point in my life, I am not concerned with what some may think of my having engaged in pay-per-use sex. The short of it is, I stopped in the Last Chance one day in the late '70s after hearing Dick Purtan joke about the place so much. The walls had a number of signs on the wall that read 'No hookers' and 'No table jumping' and so on.

I didn't go there looking for strange, but I found some. A gal sat at my table and about an hour later we were in her apartment on 11 Mile in Royal Oak. Not bragging, just saying. Anyone else get some at the Last Chance? If too shy to say so in the open, PM me. Maybe we could form a veterans of the Last Chance club.

**softailrider** · December-03-10, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Nice spot. Just ask Leon Spinks.

I think that the incident with Leons Spinks happened about a mile and a half due South at Spears Bar.

**softailrider** · December-03-10, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

Anyone ever catch some strange at the Last Chance? At this point in my life, I am not concerned with what some may think of my having engaged in pay-per-use sex. The short of it is, I stopped in the Last Chance one day in the late '70s after hearing Dick Purtan joke about the place so much. The walls had a number of signs on the wall that read 'No hookers' and 'No table jumping' and so on.

I didn't go there looking for strange, but I found some. A gal sat at my table and about an hour later we were in her apartment on 11 Mile in Royal Oak. Not bragging, just saying. Anyone else get some at the Last Chance? If too shy to say so in the open, PM me. Maybe we could form a veterans of the Last Chance club.

When the evening was over was she expecting a tip?

**marcwigle** · December-03-10, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

When the evening was over was she expecting a tip?

Other than his small one?

**marcwigle** · December-03-10, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

I think that the incident with Leons Spinks happened about a mile and a half due South at Spears Bar.

What happened with ol' Leon at that bar?

**terryh** · December-03-10, 11:23 PM

A former co-worker told me there was a neighborhood or rather several blocks of homes and businesses I guess east and south of where the last chance used to sit...

**pkbroch** · December-04-10, 01:41 PM

A neighborhood of homes and businesses stretched from Eight Mile to the Motel next to the fair grounds. The homes were a mix of bungalows and two story houses.

The whole area was purchased piecemeal by the State of Michigan, for a proposed RV camping, park area. There were some holdouts on selling, the Motel, a lawn mower repair, Hoover Electric on Eight Mile and others. The project was scrapped.

This is the area where the So called " Shoppe's of Gateway, Has been moving around dirt for four years. This is the land owned, I believe by Neaderlander, Schott, etc. which they picked up for a bargain at that time from the State of Michigan.

The entire transaction has a well documented history.

**EastsideAl** · December-04-10, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

I think that the incident with Leons Spinks happened about a mile and a half due South at Spears Bar.

Well, that's what Leon said. The manager and some [[purportedly) fellow-patrons at the Last Chance saw it a little differently.

**cmp1958** · May-11-11, 11:36 PM

i remember the last chance - and also the state fair bar next to it going south and then the frisco theater! i have a lot of stories about that place......you see; when i was young i ended up going to every place in the city that i shouldn't have........

**preserve** · May-12-11, 02:30 PM

Bowled with League at the State Fair Bowl and one night a group of us decided to stop and have one for the road. When we tried to leave, we couldn't get the door to open, the
bartender jumped over the bar and yelled "damned whores", we thought he meant us and were shocked, but apparently there was action on the other side of the door, up against the door. He cleared it, apologized to us and we left quickly. Never went back.

**Oddz313** · May-24-17, 05:03 PM

Well the place was prominent in a missing woman story they did today....

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/loca...56507413-story

**Richard** · May-25-17, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

Nice spot. Just ask Leon Spinks.

Mid 90s I was in a local hangout hotel bar and dance club in Orlando.

People kept coming up to the guy sitting next to me at the bar and asking for his autograph,after awhile he asked me why I did not ask him,I told him,I do not know you, so why in the hell would I want your autograph?

He laughed and bought me a round,the next person who asked for an autograph he told them to ask his brother sitting next to him,I am a white guy and the look on people's faces was priceless because they seemed to actually believe him.

We spent the night buying each other rounds and talking about nothing in general that I cannot remember anyways,the next morning I found a crumpled up bar napkin in my jacket pocket where he wrote,you know me now and autographed it.

He seemed like a pretty cool guy though.

**douglasm** · May-25-17, 05:35 PM

If I remember correctly.....it's been a long time.....the Last Chance got it's name because across the border, Ferndale was "dry" way back when.

**gnome** · May-25-17, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

If I remember correctly.....it's been a long time.....the Last Chance got it's name because across the border, Ferndale was "dry" way back when.

The "dry" status may have applied to all of Oakland County. I am trying to find the link but I seem to remember that Oakland was "dry" until WWII.

Vestiges of that dry status can still be found in Sylvan Lake, Lake Angelus and Oak Park [[I know Oak Park had been trying to loosen up but don't know if the charter changes passed voter approval).