Former RJ’s Bar finds new life as Downtown Omsai
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A sign inside Omsai Downtown on Nov. 3, 2023.
SHENANDOAH – At one time, there were more bars per capita in the Shenandoah and Mahanoy valleys than anywhere else in the country.
Bars dotted the towns, in just about every neighborhood and each end of town, and some remain to this day.
On Shenandoah’s west end, one of those neighborhood bars was RJ’s at West Centre and North Vine Streets.
The bar — a staple of the west end — closed about a decade ago and changed hands several times, with no lasting establishment. Though, the building was sold in the summer of 2022 to Omsai-Com, LLC, of Ringtown.
The company tasked Gina Diehl, a long-time bartender and manager in town, to reopen the bar as Omsai Downtown.
“I am extremely thrilled to reopen your capsule of past memories and offer a opportunity to create meaningful new ones as well,” Diehl said in a Facebook post. “I hope for our bar to be a peaceful loving environment. An homage to those that came before me and reflect a feeling of respect and acceptance to the new community that is to follow.”
Omsai Downtown opened for the first time Friday and Diehl told the Sentinel then that she hopes to bring back more of what RJ’s once had while chartering the bar’s own path.
“We still have a long way to go,” Diehl said in the post. “The backbone that truly reflects the Beautiful immigrants that came here with a dream many years ago and showed us by example how to come together and create a community where we all helped each other get through the hard times and celebrate the milestones.”
The outdoor deck, she hopes, will eventually offer cornhole games and “an outdoor sanctuary to enjoy a board game with a bottle of wine, or a beer — a place to unplug.”
Eventually, theme nights can come along with line dancing lessons and more.
She told the Sentinel she hopes it can be a place for the community, where social meetings and gatherings can be held.
About Author
