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.