Craft Brew Bar StoryGarth’s Brew Bar Progress Update – September

Every day is getting more exciting, more nerve-wrecking and more closer to opening! We’re beyond grateful to all those who continue to share their excitement with us.

Everything from high fives on the street to emails from folks moving from Oregon to Madison and looking forward to the bar opening adds to the energy and excitement.

Here’s the latest…

Location

Of the many (and I really mean many) bar owners I’ve talked to, a recurring frustration has been with the landlord of their establishment.

We’re extremely fortunate at Garth’s Brew Bar to have Anne with Urban Land Interests (ULI) as our landlord. It has been clear that one of ULI’s core values is excellence.

That may mean the opening of Garth’s Brew Bar gets pushed back a few days (we’re still looking at a late fall opening, don’t worry), but it’s worth it to do everything right the first time so we don’t have to redo it.

“Measure twice, cut once.”

In regard to parking for the location, there are a few spots available behind the building for guests. That’s in addition to street parking directly on Monroe street.

It’s also worth sharing that upward of 60% of street-side parking goes unused at any time of the day on streets parallel to Monroe.

We’ll be kicking out a parking map soon that indicates all the possibilities for parking so your travel experience to the best bar near you is as smooth as possible.

Atmosphere

Ever heard of analysis paralysis? We now get the struggle of those trying to go through a bathroom remodel or kitchen update. The struggle is real, and even more real for a 2,150 square foot space that needs to accomplish so much for you.

We’re currently sifting through shapes and colors of tile, wood types and tones for walls – and don’t get us started on chairs or bathroom sinks.

It’s one thing to have a vision for the space, but another to vet that vision down to what inspectors will pass, what’s within budget and what will still be awesome for your experience. But, hey, we’re well on our way with it!

As for actual construction: HVAC is getting installed and soon walls will be up!

In the coming weeks, we’ll be doing some pop-up tours with free beer (since, legally, we can’t sell yet). Be sure to keep an eye on your favorite social channel for updates. We’re social: @garthsbrewbar

Money

After seeing all the money disappear toward build out and interest payments add up before revenue comes in, we get why people with families and houses and others to take care of stay away from starting a business.

Again, we are endlessly thankful for having a team at Summit Credit Union along with ULI, our architect (Motis) and contractor (Carlson Construction) who get the importance of staying within budget and swiftly handling the unexpected surprises anyone opening a business has to face.

That being written, we have our first run of merchandise ready for you to pre-order. Revenue from this first run is going toward a crowler machine, which will enable us to fill and seal 32oz cans of beer. We’ll also use it to giveaway some beer in advance of opening.

If that’s not incentive enough, by pre-ordering, you’ll also be on the exclusive notification list for limited runs of more unique merch that’ll come through the pipeline.

p.s. We’re only accepting pre-orders of swag until Monday, 9.9 at 10:00 a.m.! Get on it.

Other Updates

• Positions for bartenders and a bar manager will be posted soon. If you are interested or know anyone who might be, shoot us a note (garth@garthsbrewbar.com) with why you’d like to work at at Garth’s Brew Bar.
• We’re working on cheese for the Batch Bakehouse giant soft pretzels. Without a full kitchen, it gets a bit tricky, but we’ll make sure we’ve got it for you.
• The main background tunes will be a mix of upbeat jazz. The music is selected to keep you energized, but not overwhelmed, so you can focus on the conversations happening over your glass (or two, or three) of beer.
  • The other option was Rick Astley on repeat, but for some reason we haven’t gotten a positive response to that.
• A shout out to Jacob Farwell for leading the logo, merch and upcoming glassware designs.
• Prior to opening, we’ll be hosting a series of soft openings as well as tasting events so you can get a say in what gets served and to provide any recommendations.
  • We’ll be closed Mondays to make the space available for various community events like neighborhood meetings, beer pairings, homebrewer gatherings and more. If you’ve got a group you’d like to bring in on a Monday, let’s chat.

Thanks for reading/scrolling through! It would mean the world to us if you would share this website with friends so they can subscribe to our newsletter (bottom right of this page) and be sure to place your merch order before 9.9. Cheers.

• July’s update
• June’s update
• April’s update