New Prohibition-inspired cocktail lounge to open in SLO County. Here’s a look
It’s the roaring 2020s, and one Arroyo Grande Village business is expanding into a new Prohibition-themed bar that would make bootleggers blush.
G.E. Hendricks Bar and Lounge, a Prohibition-inspired cocktail lounge from Bill’s Place owner Casey O’Connor, is slated to open in the Village next door to Bill’s Place on Branch Street later this year.
O’Connor, who’s owned Bill’s Place since 2011, said he’s excited to try something new that also honors his family’s history.
“Bill’s has been in the family since 1933, the day after Prohibition lifted,” O’Connor said. “My grandfather started it, and his name was George Hendricks, so that’s why this is going to be G.E. Hendricks Bar and Lounge in tribute to him.”
Some 95 years removed from the opening of Bill’s Place, O’Connor said he hopes the new lounge can live up to his grandfather’s memory.
“I think he probably would have appreciated it,” O’Connor said. “I mean, looking back 90-plus years here, I think he would have thought it was pretty cool.”
What will remodeled lounge look like?
Opening in the space at 110-1/2 East Branch St. previously occupied by the Village Papery stationery store, the cocktail lounge will require plenty of external and internal renovations.
The outside of the store will be overhauled with a new edifice, signage and lighting, complete with a new metal awning, and will exchange the light brown and black exterior for dark gray and black shades with wooden accents, according to concept designs included in the most recent Arroyo Grande Planning Commission staff report.
Inside, the former commercial space is already in the process of being refitted to make way for a bar, a handful of sit-down tables and reservation seating in the back that will extend to the outside patio, O’Connor said.
Seating will also run along the front of the building looking out toward Branch Street once the outside improvements have been completed and new windows have been installed, O’Connor said.
Like any good speakeasy, G.E. Hendricks will feature secrets and hidden doors, including a pair of sliding bookcases that will separate the bar area from the reserved tables in the back.
“On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, we’re going to do table seating in the back, and we’re going to bring a cart and make the drinks at your table,” O’Connor said.
Some secrets revealed themselves to O’Connor during the renovations. Removing some layers of flooring revealed original hardwood flooring painted by hand to resemble floral rugs, while peeling back some of the walls revealed original brick underneath.
When will the new lounge open?
O’Connor said there’s still plenty of work to be done before G.E. Hendricks can start serving customers.
Work on the exterior still needs approval, and inside many of the decorations such as lighting sconces, restroom decor and 1920s- and 30s-inspired chandeliers will be installed over the next few weeks, O’Connor said.
After gaining approval from the Arroyo Grande Planning Commission and securing its license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the new bar only has a handful of procedural hurdles to clear before it can revamp the exterior, O’Connor said.
If everything stays on schedule, O’Connor said he expects to open the new lounge in around a month and a half, though exact details will be announced as the renovations are completed.
With table and event reservations, a more sophisticated menu and renovations inside and outside the building coming soon, O’Connor said he expects the lounge to cater to a new clientele who want to see more upscale experiences in the Village.
“Bill’s is just a bar, and it is what it is,” O’Connor said. “It serves a great purpose, and it’s pretty friendly and pretty popular, but this is for somebody who doesn’t want a pool table, a jukebox and everything else.”
