March 1, 2016 – Salinas began its transition from tiny farming town to major agricultural player in the late 19th century, and now a new wine and beer bar planned for Oldtown will pay homage to that history.
Opening soon at 217 Main Street will be the Farmers Union Pour House, the brainchild of Salinas couple Colin and Lauren Hattersley. The 1895 brick building that houses the bar at one time was the Farmers Union, a co-op formed to serve the needs of the burgeoning ag community back in the day.
Keeping that sense of history is important to the Hattersleys, who will retain the space’s original wood flooring and inner brick walls to add authentic texture to guests’ experience. The ambience is being tweaked by Colin’s mom, Salinas interior designer Cindy Hattersley, for a look that Cindy describes as “bespoke/industrial with a little Bohemian sprinkled in” on her Rough Luxe Lifestyle blog.
“We all agreed to respect the integrity of the space yet make it stylish and hip,” she writes. “Imagine a fusion of rustic wood and metals, and rustic reclaimed wood accented with vintage and antique pieces.” Colin has already built tables for the Pour House using reclaimed wood and metal piping, and the long, narrow space will be complemented by a long bar with steel counters and 17 seats.
Not just the look will be out of the past: “We wanted to bring back the old name,” said Lauren, who turned to the Monterey County Historical Society to find information and vintage photos of the building. A sales and marketing rep for Taylor Farms, she and Colin have been together for 14 years and married for two. Their mutual love of beer and wine sparked the idea for the Pour House, which they view as an ideal fit with the ongoing Oldtown renaissance that has included great new restaurants like Patria, Giorgio’s, and Farm Fresh Deli & Café.
Their unique vision for the Pour House is to have a rotating series of craft beers and wines, so that there’s always something different for guests to quaff. About 24 or 25 beers will be offered at any given time, Colin said, and wines by the glass. In addition, a selection of eight wines will be available on tap, a new trend being promoted as less wasteful (no bottles to dispose of), delivering better taste (little chance of being corked or oxidized) and offering better value — wineries save a lot of money by not bottling, with the savings ideally passed down to the customer.
A menu of small bites will be available, and Lauren notes that customers will be welcome to bring in food from other Oldtown restaurants to enjoy with their drinks.
Unlike wine bars and brewpubs, which focus on one libation or the other, the Pour House will bring together high-quality wines and beers in a convivial atmosphere, the couple says.
“I’ve had a passion for beer and wine for a long time,” said Colin, who grew up in Salinas and has worked as a partner in his father’s company, Hattersley Construction. “Everything fell into place for this.”
Colin recently left his job so that he could focus full-time on the Pour House, and hopes to have it open in the next month to two months.
Lauren is continuing to work at Taylor Farms, and said she plans to help out in the evenings. “The nice thing for me is that I can get off work and walk half a block (to the bar). I don’t even have to move my car.”
They’re anticipating having the Pour House open seven days a week, noon to 10 p.m. and noon to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, but may adjust when they see what business is like.
You can follow the bar’s progress on its Facebook page and on Instagram (@farmersunionpourhouse).
To view more of the bar’s interior, go to the Rough Luxe Lifestyle Blog.
About the author
Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in north Monterey County, writes about the environment, sustainable living and health for numerous publications and websites. She is the co-author of “Humbled: How California’s Monterey Bay Escaped Industrial Ruin.”
