Main Avenue has been targeted for its “hipness” in the past few years, as stores and restaurants continue to flourish in an unlikely pocket of east downtown Spokane. Apparently this trend is growing, as The Blind Buck becomes the latest bar to pop up in this already happening nightlife area.
Like some of its neighbors (Zola, Saranac and Boots, to name a few), The Blind Buck doesn’t skimp on the design elements. At a recent soft opening — the bar opens permanently later this week — guests pointed and checked out all of the quirks and details as if the speakeasy-style drinking establishment was a museum. There are the TVs displaying only black and white, the pennies that make up the bathroom floor, the word “Blind” spelled out in lights in the corner, and of course the eponymous buck on the wall beneath it. You can tell just by looking at the place that a lot of thought and passion went into making the bar just right.
The Blind Buck is easy to miss on the outside, given that it’s opening on a stretch of Division that’s long been vacant after the neighboring Globe bar closed. This may just add to the bar’s speakeasy-like vibe. You might even feel like you need a password to get in. Once you step inside, an eclectic group of people make up the crowd, from college kids to local hipsters. The easygoing music (think Foster the People and Passion Pit) makes the bar a place where you might actually be able to meet and get to know someone — like the bartenders, also co-owners, who are more than willing to tell customers their stories. One, James Fountain, was a professional snowboarder before he helped open the bar.
With its classy, trendy atmosphere, you’d think The Blind Buck’s prices would match the décor, but they don’t. Specialty drinks, which on opening night included Mules served in Mason jars and mint juleps, are $6. Well drinks are just $3. All go great with the Goldfish they use as bar snacks.
The Blind Buck • 204 N. Division St. • 290-6229 • theblindbuck.com
