The Spur
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
INTERVIEW WITH JORI CLAWSON
TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SPUR ?
Wow , where to begin ? I started bartending for the prior owners of Kodiak Jacks / Area 51 when they opened Area 51 , I believe it was Feb 2002 . I worked for them for 17yrs at many of their different establishments as either a bartender or bar manager . I found a career that I absolutely loved , so when Rick and Sharon Mensik decided to sell we jumped on board . My husband and I both love country music and to dance . One of our favorite places to go was The Silver Spur , everyone who was a regular there always called it The Spur . Wanting to preserve the legacy of The Silver Spur , we went with the nickname the customers so lovingly called it . JD is from Texas and in the idea of making it similar to a Texas dance hall with an Alaskan twist , we started renovations , and have not stopped . We are constantly updating and upgrading .
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER LOCAL ESTABLISHMENTS ?
Apart from our size of 11,000 sq ft ., it has to be our staff ! They are some of the best bartenders , wait staff , DJs , and security you can find . They love their jobs and it shows . We strive to make our customers feel safe and welcome .
WHAT ’ S THE MOST POPULAR DRINK ON YOUR MENU ?
The Red Drink is one of our most popular drinks created by one of our very own , James Markert . A close second is a raspberry pomegranate kamikaze , made with Tito ’ s vodka .
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT BEING A CHARR MEMBER ?
I love being able to ask questions . Being a new bar owner can be VERY intimidating . I really appreciate how you can reach out to anyone with CHARR and they will help you find the answers .
HOW HAS COVID AFFECTED YOU ?
We have been very fortunate compared to many . We shut down for the 2 months and slowly opened as mandated . Once we opened 100 % we never looked back . We have an amazing cleaning crew that probably hasn ’ t had a day off in a while , but they are keeping everyone safe . It has been different with orders and keeping some things in stock . The lower 48 is not as open as we are so the companies have had short supply on different things .