Once River Waste, Now The Perfect Bar: Meet Yardarm, A Seasonal 95% Upcycled Wine And Beer Bar
Image courtesy of Ash Golangco
Story by Ash Golangco
Imagine finding a giant slab of wood at the bottom of the Boise Eagle river – would you paddle past it, or pull it out to eventually create the bar countertop for Boise’s first upcycled wine and beer bar?
Image courtesy of Ash Golangco
When Guy Midnight found the slab of wood several years ago, starting his own bar wasn’t the first idea that came to his mind. Guy simply thought it looked awesome, and knew he could craft something out of it. It wasn’t a one-time incident, either – his passion for upcycling is on display as soon as you walk into the Yardarm, a small outdoor bar filled with charming nautical details and constructed entirely within a discarded shipping container.
But when we say ‘upcycled,’ how much are we talking? It’s no mystery; from reclaimed wood tables and chairs, to locally recycled steel, to corrugation rooftops from chicken farms, to electrical conduit found leftover from job sites, between 85 to 95% of the Yardarm is upcycled, and built in-house.
Guy even worked with an engineer from Greenspeed Research (“Some of the smartest guys you’ll ever meet,” Guy enthused) that allows the entire front of the bar to fold itself. When folded shut, the container looks like any other you’d find at a busy trading port. It’s perfect for the Yardarm’s seasonal operation, opening only 6 months out of the year.
Image courtesy of Ash Golangco
Despite it’s fascinating construction, the Yardarm was actually originally created from Boise’s active surfing scene. “Our origins are from the surf wave,” Guy said in an in-person meeting at the Yardarm. Although Boise’s local surf wave was attracting surfers, there weren’t any casual, outdoor bars for surfers to meet and hang out. His location – set next to his close friend and business partner’s surf shop – had steady foot traffic, so he knew that finding business wouldn’t be an issue.
Yardarm opened six years ago, and has been opening every year ever since.
When I asked about the changes he’s seen Garden City go through, he says it’s been unreal. In reference to his ideal location, “People tell me, ‘How did you know?!’” Guy laughed. The lot for Yardarm used to be an antique collector’s lot, but mostly filled in with dirt. Surrounding Yardarm, there used to be nothing but grass. Now, there’s the Riverfront Park and a few new apartment complexes.
Image courtesy of Ash Golangco
Still, 2020 was a tough year for business. Compared to 2019, “our overhead was down about 60%,” he said. They typically close in the first week of October, but closed as late as Halloween in 2020 to make up for lost revenue. To employ social distancing, the outdoor bar used handroping, and it limited their customer maximum to less than 40 people at a time. Luckily, as an outdoor bar, more and more customers felt comfortable spending time at Yardarm.
By 2021, it was like the pandemic had never happened – they made record-breaking numbers in May and April. Unfortunately, the heat and early summer smoke in June and July did discourage customers, but it’s hard to say 2021 has been anything less than a victory in the post-lockdown market.
This year, the Yardarm will close on October 9th – so don’t miss your chance to visit! Besides wine and beer, you’ll also get to order tacos from a repurposed Chris Craft boat, retired by its previous owner since it could no longer sail the seas. Guy drove all the way down to California to pick it up and transformed it into a prep kitchen. He was kind enough to allow us to take a picture of the interior; What a work of craftsmanship!
Thank you so much, Guy, for sharing your story! The “Vegi taco” with artichoke hearts and jackfruit sounds super unique, and we can’t wait to give it a try.
