By TR Robertson
The newest addition to Historic Downtown Vista, Barrel & Stave* Pour House, officially opened on Friday morning with a Red Ribbon Ceremony hosted by the Vista Chamber of Commerce and attended by numerous dignitaries and anxious patrons. The outside patio was decorated with balloons from SanDiegoBalloonsandmore.com.
Barrel & Stave Pour House is the result of the inspiration of owner Steve Thomas and CEO Chris White. The two friends opened their first Barrel & Stave in Fullerton and for the past three years have been searching for just the right location in the San Diego area. When the former home of Mother Earth Brewery, on 206 Main Street, became available, they knew they had found the right spot for their unique business. Owner Steve Thomas said, “We don’t make beer, but we sell beer”. To further point this out, Barrel & Stave features 39 beer taps with a variety of craft beers from numerous locations, including local breweries like Stone, Belching Beaver and Mother Earth. Many of the craft beers are from northern California that are not available in the San Diego market. They also feature 6 large coolers with canned and bottled beers, ciders, and seltzers, bringing the total number of beers available for selection to almost 100.
The Pour House location is open seven days a week at 11 AM, staying open Friday – Sunday until 11 PM. Patrons can enjoy ample air-conditioned seating, outdoor seating that will accommodate up to 90 people socially distanced, 6 big-screened televisions and a 120-degree projector screen.
Once indoor gathering is allowed, a large area for private parties can be booked. CEO Chris White indicated that the range of beers is unique to businesses like theirs where beer aficionados can enjoy a wide range of beer selections from IPA’s to Lagers, to Sours to Reds to anything in between. Barrel & Stave is a proud supporter of the independent craft beer community and they are on a mission to bring patrons rare and hard-to-find beers, ciders, and seltzers. Barrel & Stave offers 32 oz. can growlers where any of the beers on tap can be sold to take home. CEO Chris White also runs Wild Barrel Brewery in San Marcos and several of their beers are on tap and in cans.
Vista Chamber CEO Rachel Beld and Chamber of Commerce crew and Ambassadors hosted the event as Steve Thomas, Chris White and Vista Mayor Judy Ritter cut the red ribbon to officially open Barrel & Stave. Also in attendance were John Franklin, Vista City Council member and District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond, a strong proponent of getting businesses open and back up and running. Miss Teen Vista Princess Lilly Sherlock and Miss Teen Vista Arabella Kriebeman represented Vista for the ceremony. Kasey McKinnon from KUSI television was also on hand for live coverage of the opening and announcing the count down for the ribbon cutting. Keven Ham, City of Vista Economic Development Director, said,
“It’s great to have this addition to our Downtown community and the owners and employees have been great to work with as they bring energy and life back to this area”.
Another important attendee at the Ribbon Cutting was Clayton Parker, the 70-year-old mural artist from Oceanside, who painted the 562 ft. mural, “Journey Through Time”, that covers the walls of the 9 businesses between North Indiana and Michigan Avenue. Clayton was commissioned to restore parts of the mural covering the walls of Barrel & Stave. This famous mural still holds the Guinness World Record for longest continuous mural in the United States and the world. Beginning in 2002, using old photos from older Vista residents, Clayton put together images from Vista’s past. The mural shows moments from Vista’s past from the Luiseno Native Americans to the Mexican culture to a Vistacado Avocado Festival and Parade of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In the background are businesses that once were part of the Main St. community. Vista was also once the Avocado Capital of this region.
The current building Barrel & Stave Pour House is in what was the old Vista Pharmacy/Safeway, first opened in 1936. Steve Thomas, Barrel & Stave Owner, contacted Clayton about restoring damaged areas on the mural, a project he began in December. One of the mural sections, a picture of Vista cheerleaders, was cut out to make room for a window and that section now is framed and hangs inside Barrel & Stave. Clayton hopes other businesses, that have the mural on the back walls of their business, will want him to also restore any damaged areas of the mural on their wall. The Sexsmith’s Market, painted on the back wall of When Pig’s Fly, was in operation from 1928-1958. It was the first market to sell frozen foods and canned baby food as well as offering self-serve shopping. George Sexsmith was a Vista Volunteer Firefighter and a WW II Civil Defense volunteer as well as Vice President of the Vista Chamber of Commerce.
There is a wealth of history on the walls of the business in Downtown Historic Vista. Clayton Parker is making sure this part of Vista’s history remains bright and in repair for years and years to come. Clayton was pleased to tell me no one has ever tagged or graffitied any part of the wall since he completed the mural.
This amazing mural and the uniqueness of Barrel & Stave Pour House will add a welcomed addition to the craft beer industry of Historic Downtown Vista and is well worth a visit by anyone who likes beer, ciders, wine, seltzers and having a good time.
*A stave is a narrow length of wood with a slightly beveled edge to form the sides of barrels, tanks, tubs, vats, and pipelines, originally handmade by coopers. A cooper is a person trained to make staves.
