Scott Juveland and Mike Skov, the new owners of the Bend in the Road bar, aren’t known to most of their customers as Scott and Mike, they’re known as Mule and Bass.

Skov had worked there for about 10 years before the two men bought the bar on Feb. 9, and he said he’d wanted to purchase the business for some time.

Skov said they started renovating the bar on Feb. 10 and continued to renovate until April 4. The bar reopened April 10 after being closed since the previous owner had closed the bar in early January.

“When you’re in here working, you don’t really realize so much what you’re doing to it until it’s done, and then people come in and tell you how much they appreciate it. It all kind of sinks in,” Juveland said.

“It feels real good to hear that,” Skov added.

The bar hadn’t been renovated since 1976, and Skov said it was dark, and parts of the bar, including the bathrooms, were often dirty.

“When we started, we really didn’t know what we were going to do,” Skov said.

“We just wanted to clean it up,” Juveland added. “Basically wanted to clean up the bathrooms and get new bar stools. … One thing led into another. It was hard to fix one spot and not fix another, so we just did it all.”

Many of the renovations came along as the two were repairing and replacing other aspects of the bar. Much of the original, dark paneling was torn out or replaced with lighter-colored paneling. The biggest difference is the cleanliness, Skov said.

“Just the response we get from people who come here now: It’s clean. It’s new. They really like the wood. It’s brighter,” Juveland said.

The pool tables have been moved to the north end of the bar, which Juveand said customers like better than when they were positioned more in the center of the room.

Skov and Juveland haven’t advertised about reopening, but they notified people through word of mouth and cell phones.

“We told a couple, and they started texting, and it gets around fast,” Juveland said.

On the day the bar reopened, people were waiting outside for the doors to open, Skov said.

“We knew it was going to be kind of big because there was a lot of talk, but it was bigger than we thought,” Juveland said.

Skov said his favorite part of owning the bar is the banter between customers and workers, and he said building relationships with customers is an important part of the business. Skov and Juveland are hoping to get the people who regularly went the bar before it closed to come back, and Juveland said some of those customers have come back, but they’re also pleased to see many new faces as well.

Skov said they’re thankful to the people who helped with renovations, and he said they wouldn’t be where they are now without that help.

There are still things that need to be done.

“The business part of it is going to be tough running, but we’ll get it figured out,” Juveland said.

In the future, Skov said they want to renovate outside and put up fencing for the volleyball court. He also said they also want to clean up the back of the building. People can play horseshoes on Tuesday nights and Volleyball on Thursday nights.

“I just want my customers to come in here, feel comfortable,” Skov said. “Give them a good price on a drink. A good drink. A good cold beer. I just want my customers to be happy.”