Looking for a new spot in downtown Centralia to grab a beer, wine or cider and take a break while shopping?
86’d on Tower, a new hole-in-the-wall bar sandwiched in between Saddle Bum Western Store and the Urban Farmgirl Market, opened last week at 328 N. Tower Ave.
86’d on Tower is the brainchild of Urban Farmgirl Market owner Laura Duthie and Saddle Bum owner Jeannie Gluck.
Gluck had already been leasing the space the bar now occupies since she first opened Saddle Bum last summer.
“It’s just been empty the whole time and I was trying to figure out what to do with it and always thought, ‘How fun would a bar be?’” Gluck said. “Thank goodness Laura has the same vision as me.”
“The intention is to bring a new thing to our customers,” Duthie added. “We used to get a lot of requests like, ‘Oh I’d just love to have a wine and beer and shop.’ So it was mainly request driven and hearing what people were looking for.”
With Urban Farmgirl offering shoppers a selection of western-themed gifts and furnishings and Saddle Bum offering them western-style clothing, the stores pair nicely together, but that’s not all Duthie and Gluck have in common.
86’d on Tower’s name came from the fact both of their addresses end in 86, which also just happens to be the term used for people who have been kicked out of a bar.
“It was the perfect collaboration name for this … And it happened to be a really cute little bar name too,” Gluck said.
And while they didn’t have to 86 anyone during their opening last weekend, they acknowledged it’ll be a situation they’ll eventually face, as all bars do.
“It could happen. Our friends are probably the first ones,” Gluck joked.
She and Duthie are also trying to encourage shoppers and diners in downtown Centralia to explore further north on Tower Avenue.
“It’s not a battle, it’s just how do we invite them down? What’s another reason that they would come down to shop with us?” Duthie said. Seating inside is limited, but there is a small patio area. The bar can serve about 15 people at a time, the business posted on Facebook last week.
The wooden patio tables and bar tops were handmade by the husbands of Duthie and Gluck.
Should a would-be patron be unable to get a seat when visiting 86’d on Tower, they can get a wooden token good for $1 off a drink when they return later.
Given 86’d on Tower’s small size and the fact the space wasn’t a bar previously, no plumbing or beer taps are present. What Duthie and Gluck do offer their patrons is a selection of locally produced wines and ciders, along with bottled beer from Dick’s Brewing Company.
“We’re a bit limited. We can’t do spirits because we don’t have a dishwasher and the ability to do food, so hard alcohol is out of the question,” Duthie said.
They hope to be the bar visitors in downtown Centralia start at before going to downtown staples such as the Tower Tavern, O’Blarney’s at the Gibson House and McMenamins Olympic Club.
Currently, the bar is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Hours are fluid as Duthie and Gluck feel out what the customers are looking for.
Originally, the intention was to keep the bar open during the normal store hours of Urban Farmgirl and Saddle Bum.
“But after the opening, we realized the demand was really good, so it gives us more of a runway to be open more days and hours,” Gluck said.
Eventually, they plan on being open Wednesday through Saturday as spring progresses into summer. They hope to have the bar open from 11:30 a.m. to around 8 p.m.
“We’ve been saying 11:30 a.m. until we get slow,” Gluck said.
“Opening night we didn’t leave here till 11 p.m.,” Duthie added. “... We’re definitely not going to be the 2 a.m. bar.”
For more information, follow 86’d on Tower on Facebook at https://bit.ly/4aSoq6R.
