MARKLE, Ind. (WANE) — For people of the small town of Markle, the Pickle is a big dill. The bar and restaurant has been around since the early 90s and it’s now for sale.

“The Pickle has been a blessing,” Jon Goetz said. “It’s a happy place to be, it’s a happy place to work out. Its reputation has taken off.”

After leaving their corporate jobs husband and wife Jon and Tracy Goetz purchased The Pickle on October 31, 2005. The following January they held their grand opening.

“It was ridiculous,” Jon Goetz said. “It was standing room only. You could not get to the back of the restaurant.”

“It was amazing,” Tracy Goetz said. “And we had a band that night and Chuck Surack played the saxophone and walked through the bar.”

Over the past 16 years, their success continued. They say the bar has been a blessing, in part because of the community support and their amazing employees. Especially when COVID-19 hit.

“The Pickle is only successful because Markle has been so accepting of us and supportive of us,” Jon Goetz said.

“Hopefully we give the community what they give to us,” Tracy Goetz said.

The bar and restaurant dish up a variety of homemade food including, burgers, pizza, oven-baked subs, and steaks while also serving alcoholic beverages. On a typical Saturday night, a table may be hard to find but a warm welcome isn’t.

“The Pickle is your essential small-town bar,” Tracy Goetz said. “The atmosphere is like cheers. You come in and everybody knows you and if they don’t and you come twice usually they will.”

The pair says the goal was to own and work together for 20 years but life had other plans.

Last year Tracy Goetz was diagnosed with Stage 3 malignant Melanoma. Since then she was gone through 11 chemo treatments and has had extensive surgeries. Recently she learned she will no longer be able to work due to nerve damage.

Jon has continued working but the pair says they missed working together.

“It’s like peanut butter and jelly,” Tracy Goetz said. “You take one away and it’s not the same.”

After lots of deliberation, the pair put The Pickle up for sale on Tuesday.

The building, located at 102 E Morse Street in downtown Markle is on the market for $680,000. Included in the sale are all the furniture, equipment, licenses and the bar secret honey jalapeno dressing.

Upstairs is a one-bedroom apartment, an old reception hall, and a large storage area in the basement.

Below are pictures of the establishment courtesy of Nick Huffman of Steffen Group. To learn more about the sale of the building click here.

Jon and Tracy say they hope the community welcomes the new owners.

“We hope the new owners do as well as we did and I think they will do as well as we did,” Jon Goetz said. “We have the best staff. The new owner has a super advantage with them.”

“They have been with us through COVID, my journey and they also come with the sale and they never complained,” Tracy Goetz said. “We wish the new

The Pickle will remain open while the sale is underway. The Goetz’s say they plan to stay in the community.