Dog's Paw Brewing new name for possible Elgin eatery

Plans to open Abe Froeman's bar and eatery in downtown Elgin fell through after its former business partners parted ways.

Iran Garcia is keeping the empty location at 74 S. Grove Ave., where he hopes to open an establishment called Dog's Paw Brewing, while Tyrrell Tomlin wants to open Abe Froeman's elsewhere in Elgin or Chicago.

Garcia and Tomlin, who live in Elgin and are childhood friends, said they had differences of opinion on how to move forward with their joint business, for which they signed a lease a year ago.

Tomlin is keeping the Abe Froeman's name - a reference to Abe Froman, the fictional character known as "the sausage king of Chicago" in the 1986 movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" - because he came up with it, the two said.

Garcia said he's been working on carpentry inside the empty space but must secure enough financing for his solo enterprise. "I can't do nothing until I get that in place," he said. The lease has two years left on it, Garcia said. "I'm not necessarily trying to get out of the lease. I'm just trying to see what things develop in the next few weeks."

Garcia said his ultimate goal is to open a brewery, a complicated, lengthy process that entails getting federal permits.

Tomlin said he's partnering with Jamie Berry of Elgin to open Abe Froeman's, and they are eyeing a location in downtown Chicago.

"She worked for me in Chicago (where Tomlin co-owned a bar). When we started this process, she was excited about it," he said. "Where me and Jamie and Iran really couldn't move forward, me and Jamie can."

Tomlin and Berry said they would love to open an eatery in Elgin if they find a desirable location. "If there is an opportunity, I'd be more than willing to take it," Tomlin said.

"We are hard-core Elgin addicts," Berry said. "The heart of this idea was in Elgin. That was the concept. We wanted our business here, we wanted to grow it here."

An occupancy permit for Dog's Paw Brewing was approved March 18 pending a final inspection to be done within the six-month life span of the permit, Elgin senior planner Sarosh Saher said.

The eatery could be on the agenda for the May 6 liquor control commission meeting to obtain a liquor license, City Clerk Kim Dewis said.