Saturday marked the official last day of two Water Street hot spots, O'Danny's and Oak Barrel, located at 1213 and 1211 N. Water St.

"We've sold them," says Bob Leszczynski, who co-owned the bars with his brother Dave. Leszczynski signed the closing on Monday, but would not say who the new owners are. Word on the street, however, is that the La Crosse based chain, Brother's Bar & Grill, have bought the watering holes.

Leszczynski says their reasons for selling are many.

"We've been doing it for 12 years now," he says. "It started out as four brothers, and now we're down to two, and we're both doing other things."

Plus, with so many bars and restaurants opening up downtown lately, he says business was not as great as it was during the first seven to 10 years.

"Unfortunately, with everything from the police cracking down on occupancy, the Marquette Interchange a mess, and the added taxes for small business owners, it is just not a friendly time to own a bar Downtown."

Brothers, the speculated buyers, operate several bars, mostly in Wisconsin college towns and in Minneapolis. The Brothers franchises feature pool tables, video games and a casual menu with fare including chicken wings, soups, burgers and salads.

Stay tuned to OMC as more information becomes available.