Bryan Williams remembers a time when the bartender was like the mayor.

Everybody knew the bartender and the bartender knew everybody.

“You bounced ideas off him and it was the place to go to talk politics and this and that. The bartender was the most famous person in town and it was a career,” he said. “There is a resurgence right now where people are realizing it can be a lucrative career if you do it right and are passionate about it… I love doing this.”

That’s how he envisions his role at The Brass Eye, a relatively new bar in downtown Niles that specializes in interesting conversations over an expertly crafted cocktail.

Williams describes himself as a “cocktail connoisseur” who has spent many hours — and hundreds of dollars — mixing drinks at his home kitchen in an attempt to make the perfect drink.

He soon realized he needed to turn that passion into a business.

“This is what I want to do,” said Williams, who also runs Trailhead Mercantile in Niles.

Williams believes The Brass Eye fits a need not previously met at other establishments in downtown Niles.

“It’s just a nice, quiet cocktail lounge,” he said. “We need the Nugget and we need Massimo’s, but this was the missing link… every successful business downtown is good for all of us.

“It’s just a different vibe in here.”

If liquor isn’t your thing, The Brass Eye offers plenty of craft beer from the bottle or the tap. Last week he had selections from Bell’s, Rochester Mills, Round Barn, Kona and Right Brain on tap.

“Every two or three weeks it’s a completely different beer selection,” he said. “I’ve got some standards that I keep in the bottles of course, but as far as taps go, I’ve got a pretty good rotation.”

The Brass Eye opened in January at 205 N. Second St., the former location of the Stein & Vine wine bar.

Williams finally took down the Stein & Vein sign last week and replaced it with one that says The Brass Eye.

He said the sign was made by custom guitar creator Dave Dale, who also plays guitar for the band Elephant Rescue.

“I am in love with it (the sign). I couldn’t be happier with it,” Williams said.

The Brass Eye is open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For more information about the business, including current beer bottle/can selection, visit The Brass Eye on Facebook.