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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A downtown bar that became a popular venue for musicians and other local talent will be closing its doors for good on the heels of its owner&#8217;s death.</p><p>Brian Urbanas, of Wilkes-Barre, died last Friday at age 39 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.</p><p>Bart &amp; Urby&#8217;s, a staple at 119 S. Main St. for more than a decade, is now closing permanently and Urbanas&#8217; family intends to sell the building, according to Brian&#8217;s cousin, James Merolla.</p><p>&#8220;Brian&#8217;s parents Patsy and Joe Urbanas plan to sell the bar along with the building,&#8221; Merolla said. &#8221; They are older and they don&#8217;t have the energy to run the business anymore.&#8221;</p><p>Merolla noted that Brian&#8217;s parents ran Bart &amp; Urby&#8217;s for the last year-and-a-half.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know of any prospective buyer,&#8221; Merolla added. &#8220;There are people who have said they would buy it but they probably don&#8217;t have the money to be serious.&#8221;</p><p>Since 2005, the bar on South Main Street has been a renowned spot for Northeastern Pennsylvania&#8217;s underground music and comedy scene.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bart &amp; Urby&#8217;s, at 119 S. Main St. in downtown Wilkes-Barre, is closing for good now that its longtime owner has died. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_image-24-should-be-fixed-1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bart &amp; Urby&#8217;s, at 119 S. Main St. in downtown Wilkes-Barre, is closing for good now that its longtime owner has died. </caption0><photoCredit0>Dan Stokes | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Late owner&#8217;s cousin says building will be sold</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dan Stokes</p><p>dstokes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Late owner’s family says Bart & Urby’s to close for good