September 16, 2025 – The beloved Bear’s Hideaway in San Juan Bautista—founded by Lori Wilson and named for her dog—has a new owner and a new name. Now known as The Hideaway, proprietor Jennifer Clarke says she’s not going to change a ton.
“The beauty of the Hideaway is that Lori created such a wonderful place that people love,” says Clarke. “From the first time I walked into the bar, I felt welcome. I want to keep the spirit and vibe.”
Naturally, she’s changed a few things, starting with opening up the bar and adding eight barstools so people can hang out there. There’s now a little table for four along the window so guests can people watch. She’s put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and brightened the whole place up with fresh flowers. She rearranged the furniture in back and put some new plants in flower beds.
“I wanted to add my own look and style,” says Clarke. But the focus of the place will remain the same: carrying local wines and craft beers and offering live music. She plans to add coffee and tea options, and she’s keen to revive some of the things Wilson had done in the past, like bringing in local winemakers to pour.
In fact, she will host Twice Tyger, a new label out of Morgan Hill, with wines made by Bobby Graviano (formerly with Testarossa, Bargetto and Vidovich), this Friday, September 19, from 4pm to 7pm.
She plans to keep the same hours, perhaps staying open later so people can enjoy the space, but, she says, “I do have a day job, so I need to get home and get some sleep!”
Clarke, who has lived in San Juan Bautista for the last year and a half, following a divorce (he got the house: she got a cute rental), has been in the ag business locally for her entire career, working as a pest control advisor and then as a food safety expert for growers, before becoming Executive Director of the California Leafy Greens Research Board, based in Salinas. She explains the Board exists under the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the research is funded by a one penny per carton fee collected from handlers like Dole, Fresh Express, Taylor Farms and so forth.
“I have enjoyed meeting all the people in this town since I moved here,” says Clarke. She’d lived in Prunedale since 2002, so this was not a big change. She knew the town from visiting with friends from Hollister, and through some connections, found the place she now lives. “It’s funny how the universe helps makes choices for you!”
What she really wanted, though, was to buy a house. But the costs of home ownership were daunting.
“I felt really disheartened,” says Clarke. “I am 50 years old and a professional woman, and I can’t afford to buy a house here. I have money for a down payment, but there was nothing I felt comfortable in.”
She also figured if she did find a fixer upper, it would totally consume her time. Through mutual connections, she found out that Wilson was retiring and wanted to sell the business.
Clarke thought to herself, “I can’t afford a house, but I can afford to buy this bar!!”
She figured it would be a great way to meet new people and have fun. Clarke says Wilson has been a huge help in the handover. “We went to the ABC office together to do the license transfer, and we went to the County Clerk together! She did everything possible to make the transition easy for me!”
Clarke says other potential buyers may not have seen the value in the bar that she did. “The value is in the relationships that Lori built with people. Plus the value of her being around to help me has been huge!”
While she plans on having a Grand Opening, she needs signage first. She has all the artwork figured out and is now ready to submit plans to the city.
She’s extremely excited about the sign, which is being done by Central Coast Sign and Design in Salinas, with whom she worked in 2017 to wrap her 2016 Jeep Wrangler when she participated in the second annual Rebelle Rally, an all-women’s offroad journey that took her from Squaw Valley to the hills near Coachella.
“We had 32 teams and my girlfriend (Alicia Byers) and I finished 16th – the first time we had ever done anything like this! No phones, no GPS devices, just rulers, maps and compasses!”
She says that the 10 days of camping and navigating in the wilderness was a completely unplugged and fun experience. Their very fitting team name was Now or Never. Her sister Jessi Frame wrote a story about the experience in the Winter 2017 edition of Coastal Grower.
“Once you learn to map GPS points, you feel pretty bad ass!!” says Clarke. “I would love to do it again, but it’s a lot of work to get sponsorships.”
Once that sign is installed, she’ll plan a Grand Opening party.
Asked about food options, she says she will continue offering snacks like pretzels and nuts, and encourages people to bring in their own food. However, she would love to hear from creative local artisan bakers and so forth who might have ideas for bread, rolls, bread sticks, cheese crackers and other baked goods.
Hours for The Hideaway are Thursday, 4—7pm, Friday, 2—8pm, Saturday noon to 8pm and Sunday noon to 6pm. Closing time can vary, depending on how many customers are still hanging out. “Some of the most fun has been at the end of the night, when I let them finish their drinks and we sit out on the back porch together,” says Clarke. “It’s such a beautiful space. Come check it out!”
The Hideaway is at 402 3rd Street in the historic district of San Juan Bautista.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
