By Clyde Noel

Town Crier Correspondent

Croatian restaurant, retail to replace longtime watering hole

The building has been vacant for more than two years, but the former Mac’s Tea Room site at 325 Main Street is quietly taking shape with enough space for four occupants.

One side of the Main Street location will house a restaurant while the other will feature a retail store. Above each tenant will be 1,800-square-foot office suites.

The restaurant, “Ragusa,” will feature Mediterranean cuisine in Croatian style and is expected to be open by fall.

Owner MLaden Savinovic said there will be a 20-foot bar and an open kitchen where diners can watch menu preparations.

A large dome will define the main dining area. The rear of the building will accommodate a large banquet room for parties and corporate meetings.

“Our menu will feature steaks, chicken and fish, but prepared in a Croatian style,” Savinovic said. “We also have a large basement that goes with the restaurant, and we will have one of the larger wine cellars in town.”

The other side of 325 Main St. will be a 1,850-2,000-square- foot retail store, with a large storage room in the basement.

According to Ron Labetich, commercial real estate broker, the buidling owner has not started to look for a tenant.

One of the office space sites will be occupied by Anka Margaretic, as a real estate and property management office.

Mac’s Tea Room, which became Mac’s American Grill in later years, closed its doors in 2000 after operating for more than 60 years. It had evolved from a drinking spot with dirt floors to a semiformal restaurant that was a favorite among longtime residents.