Barleycorn’s: an old bar revamped into shiny new music venue

Since at least the 1930s, the space at 608 E. Douglas in downtown Wichita has been home to a bar – Blue Lounge, Panama Red’s, Velvet Rope and John Barleycorn’s among them.

It also usually has been a venue for live music.

That’s one of the things that attracted three local music aficionados and entrepreneurs earlier this year when they heard the bar was for sale.

Kirby’s Beer Store and Lucky’s Everyday owner Alex Thomas – himself a member of many local bands over the years – teamed up with music promoter Adam Hartke and commercial real estate agent Brian Cunningham to purchase John Barleycorn’s from longtime owner Curt Melzer, who’d had it for 15 years.

Their vision: Create a local music venue where Thomas, a vocalist with bands OPHIL and Monterrey Jack, would want to perform, where Hartke would want to book some of the regional and national acts he works with and where Cunningham would like to go to listen to live music. They purchased, remodeled and reopened the bar in just three months and put on their first show – a double bill featuring local country/rock band Comfort Review and local band The Haymakers – on May 28.

“We really just wanted a place to house shows,” Thomas said. “And we had the same game plan.”

Despite the quick turnaround, the new Barleycorn’s (they dropped the John from the name) has a new look and feel, both inside and out. The most noticeable is the fancy new lighted marquee out front that touts the name of future performers. It’s lined in big yellow bulbs with the bar’s name attractively scrawled in red along the top.

One of the priciest pieces of the remodel, the marquee was one line item that Cunningham insisted upon.

“It’s legit,” he said. “I didn’t want to budge on that.”

The owners also gave the exterior a coat of black paint and installed thick, black velvet curtains over the front windows that give the bar a speakeasy air of mystery but actually serve a practical purpose. The curtains absorb the noise from the music that for years bounced off the glass, causing an unnecessary ruckus and distorting the acoustics. To that end, the owners also installed several custom sound panels on the bar’s walls and removed miles and miles of old wire in the ceiling, replacing the sound board with a modern system that the sound technician can manipulate using an iPad standing anywhere in the bar.

Fancying up the stage also was a priority in the remodel, the owners said, and the most noticeable difference is a big red curtain behind the stage that has an illuminated red Barleycorn’s sign projected onto it when acts are performing. The glowing sign has been showing up in pictures of bands that have performed at the bar and give the shows a recognizable look.

They also stripped the bar down to its original wood, removing two layers of colored Formica dating to the 1960s. And all three owners said they agreed that the Barleycorn’s restrooms needed a serious bar rescue. Thomas said he hadn’t seen anything so nasty since he first took over Kirby’s. The women’s restroom was unspeakably gross, he said, and the men’s was situated in a way that its users were exposed anytime the door was opened.

“Kirby’s bathrooms were horrific in a quaint way,” Thomas said. “These were horrific in a ‘there’s just no reason for them to be that way’ way.”

The new restrooms offer two stalls for women and a stall and a urinal for men. They have new floors, new fixtures and even new plumbing. An area near the restrooms that had served as office space was remodeled into a locked dressing room and storage area for performers.

Hartke’s main job is hiring performers, and he has a long music-booking resume. He booked his first show at the then-Riverside Perk 10 years ago and worked as a promoter for his college radio station, KJHK in Lawrence. He was among the founders of Rock ICT, who for a while put on First Friday rock shows in Old Town, and he worked as a booker for the Orpheum for years. He now works at Wichita Festivals Inc., booking shows for the Wichita Riverfest and more.

In the short time the new bar has been open, Hartke has packed Barleycorn’s with several well-known acts, including nationally known alternative rock group Cracker. Thomas’ specialty is booking local bands, and he’s filled the bill with bands like Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy and The Candy Lords. The bar holds 240 people standing with the tables pushed aside, 155 seated.

The owners say they plan to put all genres of music on the stage and listed rock, country, bluegrass, metal, experimental, alternative, pop and red dirt. Concerts will generally happen Wednesdays through Saturdays. The bar is closed on Sundays but would open specially for the right show. Mondays are open mic nights, and there’s trivia on nonshow Wednesdays. On show nights, the cover charge will generally be between $5 and $20, depending on the act.

Though the focus is on music, regulars also can find plenty of more peaceful moments to enjoy the bar, its owners say.

“It’s also a space where you can just come hang out,” Thomas said. “There are certainly hours that aren’t planned. We’re a regular service bar. You can also come in here and have a whiskey and talk to the bartender.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Barleycorn’s: an old bar revamped into shiny new music venue."