Garage Bars Are Thriving During Pandemic

We've talked about it before, and perhaps we now have a little insight on why... During the pandemic, as stores were closed, people were sent home, and everyone had a little extra time on their hands, the home improvement stores were packed all day, every day. Perhaps the reason why was the bars were closed. Who knew garage bars would become so popular.

The story goes like this... The local, state, and federal governments can rain on your parade, but that doesn't mean you can't have a parade. When people were looking for something to do, it turns out garages across America were being repurposed into these ultimate mancave-ish bars for all your buds to frequent. Be honest, who hasn't thought about building a bar in their own home? It's a social check-box on most peoples list, but who has the time?

Enter the rona.

Now, armed with plenty of time and a ton of resources on YouTube, people went to making bars in their homes, giving birth to a new movement, the garage bar. Those 250-ish square foot spaces normally left as a catch-all of junk and protector of vehicles became the new place to gather and share time as we did before Covid-19 became a phrase in everyones vocabulary... but there's a catch.

What about the liquor license?

Here's the thing about having your own bar, it's a BYOB/hand it out for free type of game. You can't legally charge money or goods in exchange for consumable alcohol in any form without first obtaining a liquor license, err go, your bar isn't a business, it's a place for friends to gather and share free booze. I even noticed at least one neighbor in my hood that did this over the course of April and May. He turned his garage into a bar. Of course, I assume it's all mobile since he rents, but still, it's an option.

If you're curious about it, there are a ton of videos out there about garage bars, watch a few. If you build it, they will come. Have a little responsible fun.