MARCH 19, 2009 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Boone Saloon—Downtown Boone’s Most Eclectic Bar Celebrates Five Years
Along with co-owners Matt Johnston, Brady Sleeper and his wife, Kelly, Skip Sinanian (pictured) recently celebrated Boone Saloon’s fifth year as downtown Boone’s hippest restaurant and night spot. The eclectic bar, restaurant and venue serves up fresh takes on familiar bar cuisine, as well as some of the area’s best live music. Photo by David Brewer
It wasn’t terribly surprising to see the line out the door the first night Boone Saloon opened in late February 2004. It was the brand new nightspot in town, taking the place of the beloved Caribbean Café. Its windows had been covered for months and people were anxious to see what the new bar was all about. Patrons were greeted by a stylish interior with a unique bar with several beer taps, a pair of pool tables and a jukebox packed with music as eclectic as its clientele has become over the years.
Needless to say, people liked what they saw and they’ve been coming back ever since. Boone Saloon has been packing in customers of all stripes to eat, drink, talk, dance and enjoy the room’s low-key ambiance since that opening night.
Boone Saloon was conceived by Skip Sinanian, a veteran bar owner who moved to Boone from Atlanta in 2001. According to Sinanian, he didn’t intend to get back in the bar business, but felt like he could fill the apparent vacuum in the local bar scene.
“There was definitely just a huge gap of anything else that was available,” said Sinanian, adding that he and his co-owners—his wife Kelly, Matt Johnston and Brady Sleeper—wanted to do something “more hip” than other local watering holes that were merely catering to the college crowd.
Boone Saloon is far more than just another college bar. Sporting a simple menu that features fresh takes on familiar bar and grille classics, the restaurant and bar also hosts a stream of national, regional and local live music and comedy acts and offers sports fans two flat-screen TVs and a large projection screen on which to view big games. In recent months, the downtown staple has also hosted Boone Green Drinks.
In addition to its wildly successful Taco Tuesday, which features $1.75 tacos and specials on Miller High Life, Boone Saloon recently began serving Sunday “dunch” from noon to 3:30 p.m. The sumptuous menu features several Southern breakfast staples, as well as a few items from their normal menu for those craving something more substantial. Local musicians Ben McPherron and Mike Runyon also provide live jazz during dunch.
Within its first year of business, Boone Saloon developed into downtown Boone’s premiere live music venue. Thanks to Johnston’s eclectic taste in music, ear for talent and commitment to the local scene, Boone Saloon has hosted hundreds of shows ranging from funk, soul and rock, to hip-hop, Latin, reggae and punk. The venue has also steadily poured more money into its own sound system, buying better equipment to improve sound quality for bands and fans alike.
After a fire roared through Boone Saloon last April during the middle of a show by Grateful Dead tribute act Cosmic Charlie, the bar’s many loyal patrons inundated the owners and staff with offers of help—both physical and financial—and questions about when the establishment would reopen.
“We had a big community surge behind us when that happened,” said Sinanian.
While the restaurant was closed for renovation, Sinanian busied himself with the fight to get liquor by the drink in Boone. Along with other local business owners and proponents, his efforts paid off, resulting in a victorious referendum.
Exactly five months to do the day it closed, Boone Saloon opened its doors to massive crowds of hungry and thirsty patrons. The bar, restaurant and venue even laughed in the face of near tragedy, hanging a new sign outside with a flame logo.
One of the hallmarks of Boone Saloon has been its colorful staff. Spearheaded by Sinanian (The Idea Man), Johnston (The Detail Man) and Sleeper (The Clown), many bartenders and kitchen staff are longtime employees that have worked there for two and sometimes three years.
“Boone is a transitory town. People come and go but we have had a phenomenal staff,” said Sinanian.
Longtime bartender and cook Chris Varipapa attributed the seemingly uncommon employee loyalty to the ongoing give and take between the staff and the management.
And while its day-to-day operations remain the same, things are changing at Boone Saloon. Johnston recently moved to Austin, Texas and Sleeper, an Asheville resident, will soon be opening a new burrito restaurant there. Varipapa and longtime bartender Jenna Reyes will be filling the void by shouldering more management duties.
Although Sinanian is undoubtedly proud of all the businesses he’s opened (they’re all still operating), Boone Saloon is clearly his pride and joy.
“It’s my favorite. I love it,” said Sinanian.
Boone Saloon is located at 489 West King Street in downtown Boone. You can view its menu and live music calendar by clicking to www.boonesaloon.com. For more information, call 828-264-1811.
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