It’s exciting that this project of ours is getting close to opening! Article in the Register Guard (link here) August 23, 2019:
“After a buildout that’s taken the better part of a year, Swallowtail Spirits is getting ready to open its new tasting room on Main Street in Springfield.
The grand opening is set for Sept. 28, although people can try out the new tasting room earlier at a soft opening this weekend.
Unlike the previous tasting room, which could only offer samples, the new bar will feature a cocktail menu, including a Swallowtail rum that’s not yet available in a bottle. Other drinks will include a Lemon Drop and a variety of gin, vodka and whiskey cocktails.
Beer and wine will be served eventually. Oatis Oatmeal Stout, a collaboration between Swallowtail and Ninkasi, will be one, as well as a beer from Planktown Brewing, which helps owner and distiller Kevin Barrett make the mash for his liquors. A third is to be determined. King Estate wines will be poured, because Barrett uses their barrels for finishing his whiskey. A local cider and non-alcoholic options will be available, too.
The space, at 111 Main St. on the corner of South Mill Street, was converted from what was Rich’s German Motorwerks garage.
Barrett said he’s done the vast majority of the finishing work himself to save costs. He’s had a couple of friends volunteer their time, but “the hardest part about having volunteers is you have to direct them and then teach them, and then you end up doing it yourself,” he laughed.
Along the way, he’s collected fixtures and pieces with their own stories, many of which came to him through nearby BRING Recycling. Some tables are milled from timbers taken from a bridge on the Oregon Coast. He’s put the building’s original frosted windows back in place at the rear of the bar area. He describes the aesthetic he’s created as “art-deco-meets-turn-of-the-century-commercial-yet-somewhat-rustic.” Or something like that.
“There’s so many minute details. I think this building will never be done. I have a vision of it in my head, but bringing that to life is more of a challenge than I had expected,” Barrett admitted.
The space has been an auto shop or a service station for its entire life, and Barrett said he had an awful time getting the oil stains off the concrete floor with a solution of elbow grease and enzymatic cleaner. Fitting for a distillery, the curved wooden ceiling of the shop looks like the inside of a barrel.
A garage door already in the walls has been replaced with a roll-up glass version, which lets out onto a sizeable enclosed patio that will hold 300 to 400 people in front of a small performance stage. Gates from that patio will open onto the parking lot, where food trucks can pull up. Barrett is looking forward to the Sept. 28 grand opening and is in the process of nailing down a musical act.
The new space also includes a production facility, but Barrett said it’s at least six months away from being licensed. In the meantime, he will keep manufacturing at his previous facility on Highbanks Road.
Down the road, Barrett expects Swallowtail will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and regularly host live music. He also hopes to open Sundays for brunch with food carts.
The space will be available for rent, and Barrett said he even wants to host wedding parties.
But for the near future, he said he will remain focused on the tasting room and growing Swallowtail’s brand and identity. It helps that his butterfly logo is found throughout the space, stenciled on the floors and even painted on an outside wall. The paint color he customized is now named after him at the hardware store: “Swallowtail Blue.””
By Anna Glavash
The Register Guard
Swallowtail Spirits owner Kevin Barrett works on the bar top in his new retail space and cocktail lounge in Springfield where he will mix a variety of cocktails with his spirits. There is a full bar, outdoor patio and stage for music.
Swallowtail Spirits’ new digs
What: A soft opening and opportunity to try out the cocktail list and purchase bottles to take home. Catering from Mezza Luna Pizzeria also will be served.
When: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 24
Down the road: Hours will gradually become regular, with the tasting room open the next two weekends from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and eventually 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, leading up to a grand opening on Sept. 28.
A lemondrop cocktail will be among the drinks served at Swallowtail Spirits new bar in Springfield.
Swallowtail Spirits’ McKenzie River Whiskey.
Swallowtail Spirits owner Kevin Barrett has been working on getting the Springfield bar built out for the better part of a year.
Photos by Andy Nelson
The Register Guard