Sanford Nowlin
New patio bar Home Room features picnic tables and games such as this giant Connect 4.
Well, there won't be classes literally, but the bar is opening in a former schoolhouse, and as the name suggests, the establishment is keeping the theme.
The venture is the latest from Marika Olmstead-Wright and Marc "Frenchy" Groleau — the minds behind San Antonio institutions Pacific Moon and Charlie Brown’s Neighborhood Bar, respectively — news site MySA reports. The pair joined forces with Austin nightclub owner Jason Hart on the new project.
Located at 517 Live Oak Street, near Pulp Coffee Roasters and Smoke BBQ + Skybar, the near East Side complex formerly held a child-care center operated by nuns. The location was a draw to the owners, who saw an opportunity to be a part of the area’s growth, Hart told MySA.
Hart said the team decided to name the bar Home Room and implement school-inspired designs — such as a school-bus-turned-bar — to pay homage to its former life.
The school bus bar won’t be operating when the bar opens Thursday evening, but guests can still partake in patio games such as Connect 4, Jenga, cornhole and oversized beer pong, all arrayed across its Astroturfed outdoor area. The bar also has a set of swings, a photo booth and an arcade basketball game, as well as a dog park area.
Bar guests also can snag food from onsite food trucks.
Home Room will offer valet service, but there’s also a free parking area behind the bar under the highway.
The team also has plans to open a nightclub inside a limestone two-story building adjoining the property, MySA reports. Hart told the news site the partners hope to start work on that venture sometime this summer.
Home Room's operating hours will be 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 2 p.m.-2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
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