Businesses Worth Visiting in Oil City

Oil City—once a booming hub of blue-collar oil workers building fortunes for white-collar men too stubborn to shake a greasy hand. Now? It's mostly small businesses and a few festivals to give it some life and appeal. Truth be told, it may never be what it was back in the day. But there are things a small town like Oil City has to offer that, believe it or not, even surprise us. After several interviews over the last two months, visits to experience what is going on inside, and purchases of products, we discovered traits that won't leave the visitors disapointed. Not to mention, the owners of the said businesses are extremely nice people who, despite us being a satiracle website, were willing to take the chance on an interview.

The truth is, we are not out to defame anyone. We make a lot of jokes at Venango County's expense because comedy is meant to be a bit controversial. However, we want the county to succeed. And after our article on "Businesses Worth Visiting in Franklin" some people mentioned that there are businesses worth visiting in Oil City as well. It just depends how you want to look at the scenario.

Yes, you could see Oil City as a failing town because it is not what it used to be. Or, you could see it as a small community like Tionesta, which is even smaller than Oil City, yet a place people still seem to like visiting. This doesn't dismiss the fact that Oil City has problems that need addressed. However, as one business owner we spoke to put it, it does not have to be what it was to be a nice town. We here at the Venango Republic take the same stance, and while we plan to continue our satire surrounding Oil City and Venango County for the fun of it, we feel it is only fair that we write this piece on businesses worth visiting in Oil City. The article will be filled with some humor and jokes. However, to prove to you that we are not out to defame anyone, we will clarify that the only time we cite a business, it is to help promote their cause. If we don't think your business is worth a visit, we just don't mention you. These businesses however are some of the best the town has to offer, so without further ado, here are the businesses worth visting in Oil City.

Baked Goods From Heaven

Heaven forgot to send pearly gates

Our lead journalist had the pleasure of sitting with the owner of this business. During the interview, we learned her name is Heaven. This begs the question as to whether her products truly came down from the almighty up above. We suspect the business is just named after her. Unfortunately, we never share anyones real name on our platform. For Heaven, we will choose to use an alias for the remainder of the article.

The owner, who we will refer to as the Afterworld, defines her establishment as a Bistro and Bakery. Every week they feature three different bread flavors on a rotation. According to Miss Afterlife, everything from her establishment is made from scratch. This does not mean that she speaks her food into existence. Instead, Miss Zion makes her baked goods with her own recipes. While this is less convenient than shipping in tv dinners, the quality of the product is top notch because everything is baked at her establishment.

Tell Belinda Carlisle that Heaven is a place on Earth

I have visited this location a couple times with my children. Watching my kids faces light up when they picked out their own pasteries was a thrill to experience. What made it even better was the fact that they have the option to dine in. We got to order breakfast and enjoyed our time. Something worth mentioning about the bakery is that it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on the days which it is open. On the days which they are closed, they will not serve you anything because they are closed.

Cork and Screw Wines

People are like grapes. When you step on them they wine.

Cork and Screw Wines is a bit misleading with their choice of name. I personally have never witnessed the owners using a screw to take the cork off of their bottles. They are either doing it when I am not looking or hiding the fact that they don't have screws. Aside from this borderline false advertisement, the bar is an ideal choice for a hangout spot. What cought our attention? The interior. You'll notice that many of the businesses we mention in this article get first praise because they put in some effort to make their stores look modern. Cork and Screw Winery did just that. From the tabletops, to the lights hanging from the ceiling, the interior design was well thought out. Their food is probably good too but we didn't have any because we weren't hungery. We did however get a taste of their drinks and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is coming from a guy who does not like the taste of alcohol. Congratulations, you have shown me the potential of booze Cork and Screw.

Opened in July of 2024, the owners have been heavily involved in community projects with other businesses to help raise awareness that businesses still exist in Venango County. Their colaboration with other bars and establishments has resulted in various community events drawing several people. We would cite the upcoming events, but we want this article to be current for a while, so we will instead encourage you to check out their Facebook page. What is worth noting is that the owners of this bar take a major role in the First Friday events in downtown Oil City throughout the summer. This is just one of the many examples of how they help the community come together.

The inside joke of Cork and Screw Wines is their seasonal drinks they refer to as the "ice breakers." People who wouldn't know better might assume that they have a different drink for winter, summer, fall, and spring. Our lead journalist uncovered the secret behind their 4 mysterious recipes and it turns out, they just swap the label every time the season changes. So technically, it's just one drink with a four season identity disorder.

All year season alcohol with an identity crisis...

Something else worth mentioning is that getting the "seasonal drink" for the first time makes the drinker eligible for a free duck. We don't know why. But aparently, this excites people a lot. We're starting to wonder what is really going into that "seasonal drink." They gave us a duck too after getting a free sample of their "seasonal drink." We hired the ducks on our staff and now they check our articals four airers.

You freaking ducks misspelled those words!

Northwest Bank

Worth visiting I guess...

Just imagine the thrill of walking into a building and handing your paycheck to someone who could easily put it in someone else's account. It only takes a single wrong digit. What about the thrill of walking out of a bank with a hand full of cash you withdrew? If you're from Oil City, you probably don't know this feeling. Hey! We said humor is controversial sometimes!

Nevertheless, Northwest Bank is a great option for people who want a place to keep their money. Not that they're better than the other banks in town.... We don't know because we don't bank with any of them.

By the way, our advertising specialist Jay Son Born hates this place because they fired him. He deserved it though. First, because he thought it was appropriate to fist bump a customer. Secondly, because when asked by a woman in the drive through for 500 in one's, he sent out 500 in one dollar bills.... What a moron!

Woods And River Coffee

If it looks a bit different, AI generated the photo from examples on Google. We didn't have time to take our own picture.

What we like most about woods an rivers is the young vibe it has. There are not many coffee shops in the area. Those that do exist sometimes look as if someone just bought a rundown space and said "this'll do fine." The owners of Woods and Rivers however, renovated to make this look like a hangout spot people would want to go to. That is, unless the people who ran Spilling the Beans renovated it before Woods and River moved in. In that case, great taste Spilling the Beans!

More room than your grandma's purse. Just as cozy.

In addition to the appeal of the coffee shop layout, the menu options offer a variety of drinks to get your morning started. Personally, I love the late's here. I consistently switch up my flavoring options and am never disapointed with what I get. As long as they don't accidentally give me pumpkin spice, I will continue to love them.

They also have a breakfast menu. It is small and does not offer many options, but it is a coffee shop after all. If the lack of breakfast items is bothersome. the variety in pasteries will arguably make up for what is lacking in the breakfast menu. So stop complaining and buy a donut!

Emotional support donuts. Perfect for your already failing diet.

Clifford's Carpets and Rug Gallery

Google says one name, their window says the other name. Ask them why....

One of the unique features about this store is that it has a wide selection of decorations you can lay on your floor to walk on. From carpets, to carpets, to even carpets, there is so much variety in what you will find at this location. What makes these products so convenient is that they lay on the ground and don't go anywhere. You can even walk on them if you want.

Don't like how dirty it looks? Get a vacuum from your closet and even a shampooer. Afterwards, you can walk on it again. Stop by with your family and enjoy a day long adventure at Clifford's.....

Gee people..... We're trying! Do you want us to paint this thing like it's the biggest thing since Disney World? They sell freaking rugs! What else is there to say? They're probably the only ones in town to do so. So if you need a rug, then yeah, they're probably worth a visit! If you don't need a rug, we can't really recommend them as a hangout spot.

By the way.... what do you get when you combine a car and a pet?????????????

Carpet was not the answer you amateur pun tellers!!!!!

Core Goods

Took us 6 tries before AI got it right....

Core Goods is what we like to call a super high end looking corner store. The owner put a lot of thought and effort into the aaethestics of her establishment. Between the sign, the interior, and exterior of the building, one would think this was a chain store like Panera Bread. Even the sign looks like it hired it's own marketing team. Around here, that means it wasn't created using Microsoft Paint. Yes, we should be talking more about the products, but the look of the store does deserve a bit of praise for how well it is laid out. Again, we see a lot of establishments where people move in without doing any major renovations to modernize the appeal. On the other hand, Core Goods put in the effort so that you don't have to feel like you're walking into a sketchy bar at the edge of town.

Now, as for the product line, it is still a corner store, so do not expect a Wegmans experience. What you will find is a selection of recipe items ranging from sauces, spices, vegetable's, bread, and more. In an email sent out by the owner, the store was described as a one stop shop selling products from local fams and businesses in the community. You can think of this store as a location attempting to centralize various products so people do not have to drive all over the county to find them. You Amish buggy drivers can appreciate that I'm sure.

These jars are living their best shelf life. The joke was AI. Not the picture.

In addition to the store front, the business offers two other feaures. First, there is a catering service for private events. Secondly, there is a community room that was recently renovated. This community room holds classes on local food and sustainability, but also is available for event reservations. We are still waiting to hear back from the owner about whether or not the events can include paintball. We asked her three weeks ago and she still hasn't responded to our inquiry.

Imagine the potential Core Goods!

Billy's

Billy's featuring random woman's arm in left side of photo....

We initially thought this was a bar the size of a hallway. Kind of like a New York City penthouse where you open the front door and accidentally flush the toilet. The outside is incredibly misleading. Once you step into the building however, you realize there is a whole restaurant with a decent seating capacity. We personally believe they are using clown car technology to expand the size of their restuarant in such an enclosed space. Evidence can be seen below.

We know you're hiding this technology somewhere you clown!

We did try the food instead of their alcohol. Sorry Cork and Screw. We just weren't hungery the night we visited you. Plus, your kitchen was closed.

The A1 steak berger was acceptional. Come to think of it..... I haven't actualy eaten it yet. I'm writing this portion of the article at the bar and haven't even picked it up yet.... I'll get back to you on how it tastes.....

Yup, it tastes good....

Billy's features a giant stage to host local bands and sometimes karaoke events. According to the bar tender and some customer sitting next to me as I write this, Wednesday All You Can Eat Wing Night is their busiest time. The guy sitting next to me at the bar also just mentioned his sister is also having a wedding reception here. This has nothing to do with why you should visit Billy's.

Billy's stage. Where dreams echo louder than the crowd....

Billy's recipes have been entered into local contests. They once won a county award for Billy's Famous Award Winning Wings. They changed the name of their wings to Billy's Famous Award Winning Wings after winning the award because naming them that before winning the award would have been false advertisement.

The owner, whose first name we will also keep confidential, says that they are slowly evolving into a restaurant. Prior to this season, their slogan was "Your Place for Good Times." After the pandemic, the owner says that their slogan changed to "Your Place for Good Times and Great Food." We asked the owner why their food waited till after the pandemic to become great. He stopped taking our interview seriously.

All joking aside, this restaurant is a blast and worth your time for a visit. The experience is fun and the atmosphere is wonderful. The stage is impressive, food is good. Plus, who doesn't like to have a shot? Get your OIl City Cheers experience at Billy's..... As well as the other restuarants and bars mentioned above..... We don't want to be barred for praising one above the others.