Everyone is welcome at unique Toledo Jeep bar

You know you’re at the right place when you see the rusty 1974 Jeep CJ with a bullet hole in its windshield parked out front.

That place is Wheelin’ On The Rocks, a thoroughly Jeep-themed bar located on West Laskey Road between Secor and Douglas roads.

And if you see a much newer lifted and modded olive green four-door Wrangler parked in the lot, it probably means that Crissy’s there. Crissy “Skinny Pedal” Antoine owns and runs the bar, and she wants people to know that everyone is welcome, no matter who they are or what they drive.

“We’re not a private club or an exclusive place,” she said emphatically.

One of her regulars, Jenny Warrener, underscores that point.

“It’s an all-encompassing place,” she said. “Everyone feels comfortable here. It’s safe.”

Ms. Warrener particularly likes the variety of performers and activities the bar presents.

“Tonight it’s comedy night. I did a line dancing class on Tuesday, and there were 48 people here. Wednesday is open jams. They have karaoke. And they get a lot of interesting musicians who come in playing everything from flutes to saxophones to conga drums.”

Another regular, Jim Mickens, explained his attraction to the place this way. “This is where all my friends are — even if they’re people I don’t know. You can strike up conversations with a lot of friendly people. I like the atmosphere Crissy created. It lends itself well to talking and hanging out.”

Inside the bar, there’s no mistaking the passion that pervades it.

Iconic seven-slot Jeep grilles hang from the ceiling. Another grille, personally autographed by engineers at the Jeep plant, is displayed behind the bar. A sawed-in-half Wrangler is mounted on a wall. There are tables made from huge off-road tires.

“I used to have a minivan,” Ms. Antoine remembers. “But I’d always liked Jeeps when I was growing up. I mean, Daisy Duke had a white Golden Eagle. But when my kids were little, the seatbacks in them weren’t tall enough to put a car seat on. One night I did a Google search for Jeeps for sale and bought a 2007 Wrangler JKU.”

She soon joined the Glass City Crawlers, a group that puts together on and off-road events for drivers of Jeeps and 4x4s.

“I got to thinking that boaters and bikers all have clubhouses and special bars, but us Jeepers don’t have a place to call home,” Ms. Antoine said. “I thought that people in the town where Jeeps are made should have a place for them. And so in 2018, I opened the bar.”

The bar was originally located further east on Laskey, across from the Teledyne building. The first few years were rough for Ms. Antoine and the bar, but that didn’t deter her from working hard to support the local Jeep community.

“During COVID, we would organize convoys of Jeeps to drive by people’s houses to celebrate their birthdays,” she said. “Sometimes we’d do three convoys a day.”

More recently, the bar ran Jeep convoys by the Jeep plant to support the striking workers there.

“I was a member of UAW Local 12 back when I worked at St. Vincent’s hospital,” Ms. Antoine said. “I’ve always been a big union supporter.”

Wheelin’ On The Rocks continued to struggle financially, but Ms. Antoine wanted to keep its prices low.

“I thought maybe I need a bigger place so I can increase our sales volume,” she said.

She opened the bar at its new location in May. The premises were originally a Bonanza Steakhouse, and its bones still show. Long tables run from front to back and encourage strangers to strike up conversations with each other.

The old Jeep permanently parked near the front of the building hasn’t been on the road since 1994. It was owned by a farmer who died of cancer. The Jeep was left out in his field and used for target practice. Eventually, the farmer’s widow decided to donate the old vehicle to the bar.

“At first the police were going to tow it because they said it’s a junk car sitting in front of a junk building,” Ms. Antoine said. “That hurt. But we managed to convince them to leave it be. Eventually I’d like to put flowers in it and make it really nice and light it up.”