PORT TOWNSEND — A bartender at the Uptown Pub and Grill who left town last year to attend to family issues has become the new owner of the popular off-the-beaten-track watering hole.
“I love the bar the way it is,” said Christel Hildebrandt, who recently finalized the purchase of the bar from Kitty Snow and Laura Millett, who owned it for 14 years.
“It’s a local place,” Hildebrandt said.
“The people who come in here are all nice, and I know their names, and it’s like a family here.”
Regulars at the Uptown at 1016 Lawrence St., cheered her return,
Not missing a beat, Hildebrandt remembered what most of them are drinking.
Snow and Millett received a send-off party two weeks ago.
Hildebrandt’s arrival was celebrated with a large, rowdy gathering Sunday night.
“She’s an amazing woman,” said Uptown patron Cleare Shields, who was enjoying the back deck.
“I love that she’s young and understands what’s going on now. She’s not a retiree, and she is trying to make town fun again.”
“It’s not expensive, and it’s not snobby; it’s a place where we can all hang out, play pool, play darts and watch the game,”
While Hildebrandt doesn’t intend to change much about the bar, one immediate improvement will be to resurface the pool table.
“She’s amazing,” said Artisans on Taylor owner Anna Nasset, a longtime friend.
“It’s great when someone starts a new business, but I love it when young people take over an existing business and keep it going.”
Hildebrandt, 37, thinks this could be a permanent gig.
“I recently read a story about a cantankerous old bartender and realized that it could be me,” she said.
“I wouldn’t mind growing old at the Uptown.”
Hildebrandt worked at the Uptown for four years, three as manager, but left in 2011 to move to California to take care of her family.
During that time, she worked as a bartender, but it wasn’t quite as much fun — she had to wear a uniform, and there was video surveillance.
On a trip to Port Townsend in June, she sat down with Snow and Millet, saying that if they ever wanted to sell, she’d be interested in coming back.
“They said they were ready to sell now,” Hildebrandt said.
“So I filled out a lot of paperwork, and begged and borrowed to come up with the down payment, so I’m now in a reasonable amount of personal debt.”
She said that business is good, driven by its regulars, although not lucrative.
“It clears about as much as I make in a year bartending, which is about $20,000,” she said.
The clientele at the Uptown is safe and friendly, Hildebrandt said, adding that “the rude people tend to get weeded out.”
The tavern serves only wine and beer. There are no plans to acquire a full liquor license.
“If we served hard liquor, there would be a whole new element that we wouldn’t want,” Hildebrandt said.
“We have a lot of neighbors here that we care about, and I need to feel safe,” she added.
“I want to be able to close up at 2 a.m. and not have to worry.”
While the clientele is primarily local, out-of-towners do come in frequently.
“We have the best tourists,” Hildebrandt said.
“They are the ones who are adventurous, who wander away from the trinket shops and want to find a good local place to have a beer.”
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
