A recent interaction in the Facebook comments of a post by The Alibi Bar & Grill sums up exactly the environment that bar manager Abbey Byrne is hoping for with a growing array of events and entertainment options at the bar. A patron shared that she’d been hesitant to attend ‘Boozy Book Club’ by herself, but convinced herself to go in, got to meet some new people, and had a great time.
‘Boozy Book Club’ was created by Byrne as a simple, low barrier to entry way to get people out to the bar, socializing, and interacting. The sessions are once per month, and the group, which is open to anyone, has met twice so far on the last Mondays of February and March. On March 30, they discussed Just Watch Me by Lior Torrenberg. In February, they read and discussed House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen.
“We were just trying to generate ideas for winter when it’s slow,” said Byrne, a Lapeer native who says she’s lived on and off in Flint for most of her adult life. “It was really cold this winter and people haven’t wanted to get out of the house as much. I really enjoy reading, and my daughters and nieces are all part of book clubs all over the place, so I was like, ‘You know what? Why not start one at the bar.’ That way, people can collectively get together. You can have a good time, you can eat, you can drink, and you can meet new people.”
Byrne estimates that about eight people came to the first Boozy Book Club in February, and even more joined for the second one. A big part of the appeal, and something Byrne hopes will encourage more and more people to join, is that a book club is something you can participate in whether you come by yourself or with a group of friends.
“It’s not like trivia, where you have to have a group of people together for a team,” she said. “We’re slowly growing. I knew it was something that was gonna take time to catch on. A book club isn’t a new idea, but doing one in a bar and chit chatting about a book, that’s a pretty new idea.”
Generating fun ideas is what the team at The Alibi has become known for. The bar, located at the corner of Dort Highway and Richfield Road, was formerly A.J. Racers. It is currently owned by Tim Beaubien and the general manager is Danielle Groce. It became The Alibi in 2022. The small team that operates the establishment has deep roots in the service industry.
Byrne, who became the manager in December of 2025, has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry for much of her life.
“We’re female operated, and Danielle has also worked in the industry since she was a teenager, so it’s an industry-owned and run bar,” Byrne said. “Right now, our staff, we’re all in different stages of our lives, and it just makes it where we cook, we bartend, we do all the things (to support each other). It’s just a real family-oriented place. We’re close knit.”
In addition to a menu that includes classic bar staples and comfort foods plus rotating drink and food specials, The Alibi’s staff has also worked to create unique entertainment and social opportunities for patrons. Some of those are traditional bar-oriented things like themed holiday parties, bike nights in the summer, or karaoke or DJs. But they also include things like murder mystery nights or chili cook-offs.
Bars and restaurants have all had to overcome the post-COVID-19 pandemic challenges of rebuilding customer bases, and experimenting with different types of events is just a way for The Alibi to encourage more people to come out and be social.
“We try to do things a little bit different, just with some fun and new ideas, to generate some different interests,” Byrne said.
The Alibi is active on Facebook, with all of their events and specials promoted on that page. The bar’s events coordinator, Kailee Potter, also regularly posts Alibi information on Facebook, and Byrne’s Abbey Sells Beer Facebook page also shares updates and info.
For Byrne, the element of the work that has kept her in the industry most of her adult life is simple: being able to meet and get to know people from all walks of life.
“You get to make sure everyone’s having a good time,” she said. “Bartending is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. It’s meeting new people, talking to people. I like to talk, I like to say I get paid to talk for a living. It’s just the conversations and the camaraderie. You make lifelong friendships and relationships.”
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch up on all of our headlines every Tuesday.
