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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2012)
BY EUGENE WEEKLY READERS VOTED NUMBER ONE Bes B t E l ST 20 at HA 0 e-n PP 7 ig Y h H t O e U a R t s 201 0 PHOTO BY TRASK BEDORTHA 201 1 BE B S e 20 T st B 07 A ba R r F f O o O o D d THOMAS PETTUS-CZAR AND DUSTIN KINSEY 2007 Best Bar Food Best Happy Hour 541-683-3154 99 West W EST B Broadway ROADWAY 99 541-683-3154 Scan for menu RUSTIC DOWNTOWN Become a regular at The Barn Light T REE T S H HIG ENE 5 2 5 EUG 3-1999 ade, m -68 cally 541 o l f o BY MIKE W. DAVIS T homas Pettus-Czar and Dustin Kinsey have spent much of their time as friends traveling the world together. Now they are introducing a cozy café/bar to downtown Eugene where the community can relax and network — or summon the muse. The Barn Light will catch light in early September from 7 am to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2 am Thursday to Saturday on the ground floor of the Broadway Commerce Center at Willamette and Broadway. “One of the great things about Eugene and why we wanted to open up shop is just the community that’s here — the small, independent businesses are really great in this town and work well together,” Kinsey says. The café/bar will serve coffee, pastries and scones in the morning, picnic-style lunches and dinners with cocktails, beer and wine throughout the night. Their good friend from home (Lawrence, Kan.), Tina Stamos, is helping to design the menu as well as provide foods that are simple and pleasing much like the space itself. “Some of the items I am most excited about are the meatloaf sandwich and the coffee bacon BLT,” Kinsey says. The Barn Light will serve Water Avenue Coffee from Portland. “They’re a small, independent business like us, and their product is out of this world,” Pettus-Czar says, “not to mention the founder of Water Avenue is from Eugene and liked the idea of having a presence downtown.” “The Barn Light just came to me,” Pettus-Czar recalls. Having lived in Oregon for several years, Pettus-Czar was always fascinated by the rustic barns he would encounter driving through Oregon country. Having dreamt up the name long before the seeing the space, the pair discovered what seemed to be barn lights hanging on the exterior of the Commerce Center — it was truly meant to be. Through their travels between Europe and South America, Pettus-Czar and Kinsey were practically defining their eventual business plan and philosophy. Having worked together at a café called The Bourgeois Pig in Lawrence, they wanted to found a place of their own; that reflected their pasts as well as their travels abroad. According to Pettus-Czar, there is something special about the European ambiance that communities need. European cafés and bistros always provide an open invitation; one can come and go as they please. Most people can come by themselves and find other individuals to share and collaborate with. He thinks that if one is successful in creating a place where like-minded individuals can come together, it enriches the community with a subsequent opportunity for creative growth. The Commerce Center seemed to fit the industrialist, bringing-back-the-old feel that the two desired. A maze of pipes hangs overhead where the white barn lights will hang, and behind the bar the building’s bricks are exposed, adding a subtle rustic touch. The two have also brought in century-old pieces of a McMinnville barn to use as wall paneling around the space. Whether you are looking to indulge on a craft cocktail or just need an ice-cold PBR, The Barn Light is a place with a wide spectrum of spirits. Along with many other cocktails, The Barn Light will introduce its own variation of a Kansas tradition called “Horse Feather”; a delicious concoction of rye whiskey and ginger beer. The Barn Light is running a Kickstarter Campaign for the next couple weeks until its official opening in September. Their goal is $15,000 and pledges will receive special gifts ranging from T-shirts to free coffee for life. “Regardless if we reach our goal, Kickstarter has been a success in getting the word out while interacting with the community,” Pettus-Czar says. ■ chow.eugeneweekly.com es rieti l soups a V 80 ina orig Over lads iches a S tom Sandw r s u C - met esso Ba Bowls r u o -G spr Bread ! E l l -Fu rdough ampler -Sou a Soup S ts to go ! -Try en Quar vailable z -Fro Cards A -Gift Check Us Out @ www.soupnationeugene.com Like us on Facebook and see our daily menu! Variety is the spice of lunch! - P D B M $SB G U T t ( S F BU 'P P E t -J WF & OU F S U B J O N F OU w w w.eug enes at urday ma rket.o rg CHOW! Fall 2012 9
