The Bartlett, a popular all-ages music venue, has opened a new bar in its building. 

Spokane residents Caleb and Karli Ingersoll opened The Bartlett in January of 2014, but just opened a new bar portion and began serving hard alcohol within the venue, called The Bar, this past month.

The Bartlett is located at 228 W. Sprague, in the Richmond Building, across from the Spokane Intermodal Center.

Karli Ingersoll says the couple chose to create The Bar space as a way of increasing sales and making the venue more competitive with the downtown bar scene. 

“Before, The Bartlett wasn’t exactly a spot you would want to grab a drink with friends, unless you were attending a concert, because the menu was limited,” she says. 

Ingersoll says she felt having a separate brand for The Bar would help identify it in people’s minds as a regular spot to come for a drink, whether or not a concert was going on. So the couple launched regular hours Tuesday through Saturday with a new brand, hoping that during The Bartlett’s slower concert months, business will be sustained through The Bar. 

The Bar offers a full range of cocktails with freshly squeezed juice, beer, hard cider, and wine. Included among these are locally brewed beer options like Iron Goat and No-Li brews, as well as wine from Spokane Valley-based Townshend Cellars. 

Ingersoll says now that The Bar serves hard liquor, it also carries Spokane-based Dry Fly Distillery’s products and some items from Seattle distilleries as well.

“We also do special cocktails named after Northwest bands we like and sometimes introduce new drinks based on the performers that will be in the venue that evening,” she says.

The Bar also serves a small appetizer menu including sandwiches, butter herb popcorn, and house-made hummus and salsa, along with other fresh food items. 

The venue’s staff includes eight employees—four are part of The Bartlett, and the remaining four serve as The Bar staff. 

Ingersoll says both customers and staff are enjoying the excitement The Bar has brought to the space. 

“A month and a half in, and we are really feeling like it was a great decision,” she says. 

The Bar is open Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 5 p.m. to midnight.