ITHACA, N.Y. — A new sports bar and lounge, outfitted with 16 televisions ranging from 55 to 100 inches, is set to open on the Ithaca Commons in the coming weeks.
The new bar, Bookies, is located in the space formerly home to The Range, a beloved Western-themed bar and venue that closed unexpectedly in August 2024 amid insurmountable financial troubles.
Even after cosmetic renovations — including fresh paint, a newly sanded bar and updated bathrooms — Bookies still feels reminiscent of its predecessor, minus the stage and the black leather booths, which have been replaced with new tables and couches.
Luis Cuamba, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mozambique in 2016, was hired as general manager in late February by bar owner Kyle Spencer, a Lansing native and plumber who jumped at the chance to invest in something new after The Range closed.
The two share a vision for Bookies that blends the laid-back energy of a sports bar with the comfort and high-end cocktails offered at a lounge. Spencer initially pitched it as “an upgraded sports bar.”
That shared goal led Spencer to entrust Cuamba with designing the space, crafting an intricate cocktail menu and hiring staff. So far, he’s hired seven people, mostly experienced bartenders requiring little training.
Cuamba said he may expand the team in the coming months, but for now, he thinks industry experience is key to shaping Bookies into more than a game-day destination.
Maintaining the space as a music venue was “not part of the conversation,” Cuamba said. Instead, he and Spencer hoped that shifting from a venue to a lounge would attract a new crowd, while still benefiting from the lingering name recognition of the now-closed Range.
Cuamba has experience managing cocktail bars, both locally and on the shore of the Indian Ocean in Zavora, where he owned and operated a beach bar called “Cuamba’s bar” before moving to the U.S.
Now, he’s drawing on his decades of experience and local connections to shape Bookies into a space where everyone — from sports fans to service industry regulars — feels welcome and comfortable.
Aside from hosting watch parties, the bar will offer discounted drinks and food on Mondays for folks working in the service industry, a day many commonly have off. Cuamba wants to bring back the old-school industry nights he remembers fondly at Casita Del Polaris at Northstar in the Fall Creek neighborhood.
Eventually, they hope to build a kitchen in a small space behind the former stage, Cuamba said. Until then, bar patrons can order food from the neighboring Marrakech Cuisine, with food runners retrieving orders from next door. Bar-goers will also be allowed to bring outside food.
While hours haven’t been finalized, Cuamba said Bookies will generally be open from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and noon to 1 a.m. Saturday. On Sundays, the bar will open at noon and close after the night’s primetime sports event concludes.
The bar will be closed Wednesdays.
More stories like this