If you’ve ever grabbed a drink at the Wooden Nickel in Marquette, there’s a good chance Tom Perreira was the one who handed it to you. By day, he’s a mechanical engineering student but by night he’s behind the bar, slinging drinks and trading stories. Perreira isn’t just a bartender. He’s also a familiar face, a friend and a part of the close-knit community that makes the Nickel feel like home.
This native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota has become a local celebrity in the Marquette bar scene.
Perreira uses his talents of pouring drinks at the Wooden Nickel bar which is located on Presque Isle Ave just outside of Northern Michigan University’s campus.
The yellow shack that resides on the corner is more than a bar; it also holds a family of locals who enjoy the smell of buttered popcorn, the sound of pool balls ricocheting off one another and the taste of spirits in the air together.
Perreira said prior to him getting the job he has now he was still a part of this family, just on the other side of the bar.
The transition to being a top dog in charge instead of a bar goer wasn’t as simple as a snap of a finger. Most Nickel goers were wary of Perreira’s presence behind the bar top, not because he doesn’t have the skill to whip up drinks, but because he didn’t look like the typical bartender the locals were used to.
“In the past, the Nickel has been known to only really hire female bartenders, but after COVID, they just kind of had to pick up whoever was able to do the job, and that meant a couple dudes,” Perreira said. “Regulars at least, were a little concerned that I was not going to be going to do a good job, but it didn’t take long for everyone to realize I knew what I was doing.”
After packing up his things in Minnesota he moved to Marquette where he’d start his journey through the engineering program on campus. Right away Perreira was drawn to the Ultimate Frisbee Club. Little did he know joining this club would open the doors to where he is now and lead him straight to where many people can call home.
“The manager there [the Wooden Nickel] is Rachael Hildreth,” Perreira said. “I met her freshman year through ultimate Frisbee. She was the women’s captain. She was one of the first people I met when I came up to school here.”
Perreira also met Nick Harris, another Nickel bartender, at ultimate Frisbee, and the two clicked instantly while throwing discs.
The two grew so close they are now roommates, and frequently appear at the Nickel even while not clocked in.
Although Perreira has a new family that supports him in Marquette he still misses the ones who are 411 miles away, but every shift he has a little piece of them everywhere he goes.
It only takes a few trips to the Nickel to realize when Perreira works his appearance is different from other bartenders in the area.
Donning a floral or festive Hawaiian shirt he said has become his thing. Wanting to look stylish and also wanting to honor his father, he puts one on before each shift. Perreira’s father was born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and after visiting his father’s childhood stomping grounds, he’s grown quite the collection.
Perreira has made his own legacy within the walls of the Nickel and may even go down in the bar’s history for the work he’s done for those who visit. But, like every good story, Perreira’s chapter at the place he and many others call home will eventually come to an end.
After graduating from NMU’s engineering program, Perreira plans to break into his career field, taking on a new role in Marquette.
Regulars of the Nickel shouldn’t mourn the loss of their bartender yet; they still have some time to enjoy the drinks he pours up before he leaves. Even after his tenure as a bartender ends, he won’t disappear. Like a moth to a flame, Perreira said he’ll still be at the Wooden Nickel, just on the other side of the bar.
