08/31/2025
Farewell to JT’s Cafe: A Hometown Bar That Made Winsted Feel Like Home
By Skyler Romero
On the final night of JT’s Cafe, Aug 30, 2025, owner Tom Hagarty reflected on what the bar had meant to Winsted since he and his wife, Kara, first opened it in 2022 at 720 Main Street, Winsted, CT. For Tom, JT’s was never just a place to grab a drink. It was about creating a welcoming space where people could relax, laugh, shoot some darts, and feel at home, much like the places he remembered from his own youth.
When I entered the bar, I began scanning the room for him. To my surprise, Tom approached me first. With a kind gesture, he invited me toward the counter, where our interview began.
The atmosphere during the Last Call was bittersweet yet full of warmth. Regulars filled the room, trading stories, laughter, and goodbyes. “The people made it what it is,” Tom said, noting that the sense of community was always at the heart of JT’s.
One story in particular captured that spirit. A woman who had recently lost her husband had spent weeks opening the bar’s door but never stepping inside. Then, one night, she finally gathered the courage to come in. As Tom recalled:
“She was too afraid to come into a bar; it made her feel unsafe, and so she sat down and had a few drinks and said to me she felt safe.”
That moment, for Tom, embodied what JT’s had become: a refuge. It was a reminder that kindness and community can turn even the smallest neighborhood bar into something meaningful.
Before closing out the night, Tom offered advice to anyone hoping to open a space like his one day:
“Start in a place where people know you, a small hometown bar, and build it from there. I would do it again the same way. I wouldn't change anything except owning the building.”
Sadly, JT’s Cafe was forced to close due to rising rent and financial pressures. It’s a challenge many people and small businesses face today. Yet its legacy endures in the memories it created and the sense of belonging it gave to the people of Winsted. Judging by Tom’s passion and commitment, it feels certain this may not be his last chapter.