| Last call |
Indigo District brimming with originality
A cozy cafe by day and a swanky, all-inclusive bar by
night, the Indigo District caters to a 'full lifestyle'
BY RYAN MURPHEY
PULSE REPORTER
I take my place at the bar with a
Gap-clad frat boy to my right and a
Pabst-drinking fashionista in
women’s jeans to my left — when
describing Indigo District, I can’t
make up a better anecdote than this.
An important feature in any
nightspot is personality, and Indigo
District has a lot of it, at least on the
inside. Located in the building that
once housed Field’s Brewery, Indigo
District resides inconspicuously on
the corner of 13th Avenue and Oak
Street. There is no sign, no outside
decor, and if you were just driving by,
you might think it was vacant. How
ever, as soon as you walk through the
massive front doors, it is a different
story altogether. To your immediate
left is the monstrous and extremely
cheesy waterfall known colloquially
by frequent patrons as “Awesome
Mountain.” Across the walkway from
this monolith of kitsch is a palm tree
that reaches to the ceiling.
The decor is centered around east
ern art, tapestries and statues, all of it
broken up by the kind of furniture
you dream of finding at St. Vincent
DePaul. The oblong bar itself has a
classic feel to it, with lots of wood
and brass, and at the rear of the
establishment are two pool tables.
The staff does not have uniforms,
but are instead allowed to express
their personal style at work. One bar
tender can often be seen slinging
drinks wearing a homemade T-shirt
that reads, “1 make you drunk.” The
two most striking elements of Indigo
District, however, are also the most
subtle: the tasteful lighting and
incredible use of space. All the
elements come together to create
something a bit too unique to simply
call eclectic. It’s more like a perfectly
orchestrated identity crisis, and it
really works.
Offering a range of features that
includes a full bar, wireless Internet,
an organic coffee bar and a restaurant
that serves a full menu of quality
food on weekends, Indigo District de
fies categorization. It’s more like the
old L&L Market than a bar.
“I wanted to create a place that
accommodates a full lifestyle, not just
a place to party,” 24-year-old owner
Justin Gibbs said. “A place to study
during the day and to have fun at
night.
During the day, In
digo District assumes
the persona of a quiet
cafe where a student
can read, have a cup
of coffee or order a
reasonably priced
lunch of considerable
quality. During the night, it becomes
a lively night club, highly prone to
impromptu dance parties. Unlike
many other bars in town, Indigo Dis
trict avoids weekly events in favor of
a more sporadic events calendar.
“We were originally thinking about
weekly and nightly events,” assistant
manager Geoff Bradbury said. “But
the way it works now keeps things
from getting redundant.”
One night you may find yourself
sitting around at the bar with friends,
listening to Indigo District’s signature
playlist of indie rock, dance music
and electronica; the next you could
find yourself at “A Night On Awe
some Mountain,” the prom-themed
party held at the end of spring term
this year. In the past year, Indigo Dis
trict has played host to performances
by The Lashes, the Rock ‘n’ Roll
Soldiers, United State of Electronica,
Federico Aubele and many more. It
was also hosted charity events like
“Rock for S.A.S.S. (Sexual Assault
Support Services) ” and “Fun Boys for
Toys,” a bachelor auction benefiting
Toys for Tots. On September 25, it cel
ebrated its one year anniversary with
a dance party that filled nearly every
square foot of the bar with writhing
bodies and
pounding bass.
“I think it’s a great bar. It’s the only
reason I go out,” business major
Greg Bresnitz said. Bresnitz helped
organize the “Fun Boys for Toys” auc
tion last year.
Indigo District is perhaps best
INDIGO DISTRICT
Where: East 13th Avenue and Oak
Street
Serving: Lunch and dinner
Food selection: French fries,
chicken strips, salmon and more
known for its musical
selection. While most
bars in town pump
out the college jams
such as Dave
Matthews, The Grate
ful Dead and Jack
Johnson, Indigo Dis
trict adds a little flair
to the night with indie rock such as
Modest Mouse, Eagles of Death Metal
and Franz Ferdinand; kitshy electron
ica such as Ladytron or the Faint; and
punk rock such as Misfits and The
Briefs.
Indigo District also offers a full bar,
with what I believe to be the best
Manhattan in town. From single-malt
scotch to the quintessential Pabst
Blue Ribbon, Indigo District is the
only bar in Eugene where I have nev
er heard the words, “Sorry, we can’t
make that.” The bartenders are fast
and good at what they do. An uncon
firmed rumor states that Indigo Dis
trict makes one of the" best bloody
marys in town.
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Heather Sang is a bartender at Indigo District, at East 13th Avenue and Oak Street.
The restaurant serves quality
lunch and dinner at reasonable
prices, and the menu is as eccentric
as the rest of the establishment. The
selection includes everything from
typical bar fair such as french fries,
chicken strips and jalapeno pop
pers, to coconut curry chicken and
I A
grilled salmon in a caper olive gar
lic sauce. The best part is that the
restaurant serves the full menu until
2 a.m. on weekends; Gibbs would
eventually like to extend that to
weekdays as well.
ryanmurphey® dailyemerald, com
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