1969 BAR
1969 BAR
“Booze, muscle cars, cigarettes & rock ‘n roll— all wrapped up in one very cozy bar”
Beneath Astro Beer hall in Shirlington Village, Virginia, was the perfect home for our latest bar, 1969. This one was fully taken over by artist Billy Colbert as he unlocked imagery and icons from one of the truly amazing years in world history. With stacks of magazines culled from Etsy and a talented eye let loose on dozens of flea markets, Billy turned this raw concrete space into one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever helped design and build.
I asked one of our managers if she knew what Pan Am was as we gazed at Billy Colbert’s recently completed mural on a wall in 1969. She laughed nervously, "“Sort of, but I’m not sure. Maybe an airline?” Winner! With 5 pool tables, two shuffleboard tables and four dart boards, 1969 is the perfect smokey bar without the smoke.
When we opened RocketBar in 2007, I bought an astronaut costume online, strapped in, and the CAPStronaut was launched. Look it up… the videos are outstanding. I realized, among other things, that I had written a line in my obituary after being covered all over the airwaves as I marauded, in slow-motion, all around and in the Capital One Arena and RocketBar. The suit is now flying overhead in 1969, but few if any, know the story, hard work and the sweat that went into making that costume fly.
Pool tables, darts, shuffleboard and a huge bar with an outstanding staff takes me right back to the beginning at Bedrock Billiards. It’s a formula that works after over 30 years. and of course, nailing the design is important. Thanks Billy.
