Many of you are aware of Grant Turner’s latest endeavor in Boulder City – his passion project of the past two-three years is The Skinny Bar – and they are now open for regular business over the weekends! The progress has been slow, careful and gradual, as Grant acquired the location at 524 Nevada Way in late 2020 from the owner of the antique shop Back in Thyme, which we told you about HERE.
They stripped the place down to the studs, dug up the floor and in the end found nothing terribly historic or remarkable about the property. It’s original purpose had in fact been a laundromat when originally built. But now the bar has a classic feel to it that won’t easily be equaled in Boulder City. Staring with the bar…
The classic bar has quite the story. it is in fact THE bar that was inside the original, and oldest bar in Boulder City, The Stagecoach. Some of you may remember this establishment of questionable reputation, located where Riley’s Auto Parts now sits. However the bar itself has been on a bit of it’s own journey. As Grant tells it, one day when he was still just out of high school and working at the Tasty Freeze, a large flat bed truck pulled into the Flamingo Motel parking lot across the street with this very same arched bar loaded onto it. A man got out of the truck and approached the Tasty Freeze and spoke with Grant, asking him if he wanted to buy it.
It sounds sort of remarkable, but of course Grant at that age had to say that no, he could not make such a purchase. But, he never forgot about it either.
Fast forward 15-20 years and one day Grant is telling a friend of his about what he saw that day and relenting that he didn’t know where the bar was. Now an owner of several establishments, he sure wished he could get his hands on such a fantastic relic of Boulder City’s past. The friend then astonished Grant by informing him he knew exactly the item and where it was! It was privately owned and hanging out on a property in the trailer park behind the former Seven-11 location (now, soon to become Pink Box.) Grant couldn’t believe it, but sure enough he went and found it. Through a series of inquiries, twists, and turns, eventually the elderly owner agreed to sell Grant the bar, and now it stands as a living piece of history and the anchor of, The Skinny Bar.
The original arch was actually built in Norway out of Skandinavian white oak. It was transported by ship in the late 1800s around the horn of Africa, to dock in America and eventually ended up in Ogden, UT, before traveling to Boulder City gracing the Stagecoach. So, when you belly up and take in the columns and beauty of it all, you really are staring at a piece of history. Capping that off, is the back of the bar features a piece of French antique glass that lends itself perfectly to the ambiance.
Back to modern times and this new hip, drinking establishment…the feel is classic. Grant’s focus is to keep the brands, cocktails and the whole essence of the joint old school. He tells his distributors to try to feature only vintage brands as much as possible. The assortment is growing, so make sure you come back as they fill the place up.
The venue is built entirely to maximize the acoustic experience. On the ceiling are one inch, hand cut and stained wood each set 1/8″ apart to enhance the music. They also front a sound absorbent backing too that lives throughout the ceiling. Grant, along with a key employee laid every piece of that ceiling. The entire venue is set to immerse the crowd into an experience created by a stellar performance.
Skinny Bar is available for rent for private events. Remember this is a tavern only – no food is served and is specifically created for live music, comedy and other entertainment.
Currently they will be open on evenings Thursday – Saturday, and hours and days will expand gradually. Grant intends to do some sort of Grand Opening in May of this year. Follow them on Instagram for the latest!
