LONG BEACH – A south Long Beach building that was known for years as Nick’s West Bar & Grill is currently getting a facelift to become a new restaurant and bar, the Lost Roo.

Owners Mark and Helen Johnson bought the building in January 2008 and say they’ve “totally gutted the inside” since construction started about four weeks ago to expand the east side of the building, add windows and build a covered deck on the west and south sides. Other upgrades include the kitchen and restrooms, as well as a new entrance. The old bar will eventually be installed at the downtown Portland McMenamins.

The Johnsons are proud to be utilizing local businesses for the renovation, including BJ&R Construction, Tom Reardon Plumbing, Ford Electric and Dr. Roof, and supplies purchased from Oman & Son.

Mark, born and raised in Seattle, and Helen, from the northeast coast of Scotland, met in a Brisbane, Australia youth hostel in 1983 and have pretty much been inseparable ever since. The couple married and lived south of Aberdeen, Scotland. for the next 20 years, where they owned and managed bars and restaurants in the area, including Roo’s Leap and Sharky’s.

Then they moved to Florida, and after five years of fishing and traveling the couple longed for life in the Pacific Northwest. His family introduced them to the beauty of the Long Beach Peninsula, where they found the old Nick’s West building as a great opportunity to get back into the restaurant business.

The couple says the Lost Roo will be a fun, family-friendly sports bar with games on televisions and performances by local musicians. The business name uses Helen’s nickname, “Roo,” which is short for kangaroo and is reminiscent of their experiences in Australia. They chose the Lost Roo because the only way a kangaroo would find itself on the Long Beach Peninsula is if it were lost.

“The locals are our priority and we look forward to their feedback on the menu,” says Helen. “We’re very flexible and want to be family affordable so we’re not taking a big hunk out of your wallet. We realize we’re in a recession and times are tough.”

“We would like to thank the local community – we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t feel we had the community support behind us,” she concludes.

The Johnsons expect construction to finish in early spring 2010. For more up-to-date information on the Johnsons construction progress, visit their Web site at (www.lostroo.com).