A Dream Come True

One of the greatest joys of owning 98 Bottles is knowing that in some small way we make a difference in people's lives.  We feel blessed that In less than two years of being in business,  we have hosted two marriage proposals, bridal showers, engagement parties, weddings, countless birthday parties, worthy fund raising events and many, many other wonderful celebrations. 


Recently Steve got this email from Ilene Moyse that just blew us all away:

Mark and I met online in January 2012. I had seen a lot of my Facebook friends post about taking your Tap on Tap class 98 Bottles. I had such good memories of dancing with you at San Diego Jr. Theater in Crazy for You and Bye Bye Birdie. Mark had mentioned that he was also in a production of Crazy for You in high school, although not in a dancing role. I invited Mark to come with me to Tap on Tap for our first date. I knew he also grew up singing and doing musical theater, although he fully admits dancing is not his strong point. We had a fantastic time and Mark was such a good sport about the tap dancing even though he had zero experience. The activities you have at 98 Bottles are so great because there is zero pressure to do anything but have fun. 

In early February of this year Mark proposed to me on the USC campus outside of the Los Angeles a capella festival. We will be getting married on June 30 in Las Vegas. We love 98 Bottles for bringing us together!

When we started this business we dreamed of bringing people together in a setting that promotes conversation, new friendships and fun...looks like our dream is coming true.  Thank you Ilene & Mark and a sincere thank you to all of you who have chosen to share your very special moments with us.  That is a gift and a blessing...truly!

THE BACK ROOM gets a facelift

Since we're ever striving to improve and grow, we decided it was time for THE BACK ROOM to get a facelift.  

When we opened it seemed like a great idea to put the THE BACK ROOM performance area in the corner and it worked pretty well for the past year or so, but we kept thinking there had to be a better configuration.   

So last weekend we moved the performance space to the back wall, repositioned the sound board, rearranged

 the tables and chairs, added a real stage and  VOILA...it's a brand new BACK ROOM. Check it out.


Thanks to Andrew for rearranging and improving the sound, Jake for moving the electrics and Joe for building the stage...you guys are awesome!

The Blues on FIRE!

Sunday night 98 Bottles rocked the roof off with Nashville blues band Andy T and Nick Nixon.  The house was small but the energy could have ignited a forest fire!  Damn those guys were great!  

It's always harder to generate a large audience for out of town bands, but we're taking the chance anyway, and it is totally worth it for bands as stellar as this one.  We hope to bring them back on a weekend night sometime soon.  So, watch the calendar an DO NOT MISS THEM the next time.  If you do, it will most definitely be your loss.

98 Bottles in the news

 98 Bottles hosted two events this week that brought lots of media coverage.  

On Sunday March 24 we hosted a fund raising event for San Diego Repertory Theatre.  They are raising money for a new show called Federal Jazz Project that opens April 6.  It's inspired by trumpet virtuoso Gilbert Castellanos, a favorite of 98 Bottles Back Room music goers.  For 15 years Castellanos has hosted jazz jam sessions around town in warehouses and clubs and his work inspired Culture Clash's Richard Montoya to write a play about the San Diego jazz scene.  

KUSI news broadcast live from 98 Bottles at the event:
http://tinyurl.com/blp6h52

On Wednesday March 27 we hosted San Diego's Most Stylish Man Fashion Show put on by VIXEN.  With live art, DJ, fashion show and pop-up shopping it was an amazing night of fun.  It brought out all of San Diego's brightest and best dressed.  

The Pulse was there to cover the event:
http://tinyurl.com/cddwczj

Can't believe it's Spring

"Time flies when you're having fun"... if that old adage is true then we must be delirious!   How can it already be spring with April just around the corner?!?  It literally seems like just yesterday we were building the downstairs bar, choosing Halloween movies to show in the lower lounge, booking Christmas parties and planning New Year's Eve.  It's been a great 2013 so far.  We are constantly blown away with how many loyal customers come to see us every single week, their love and support is astounding!  Thursday night trivia is booming with more and more teams every week and The Back Room has been consistently hopping with amazing music.  We have hosted so many birthday, anniversary, retirement, engagement parties,  weddings and other milestone parties this past year.   Sharing those special moments with all of you has been an honor.  Clearly we are moving beyond the infancy stage and it feels great.  So here's a shout out to all of you who have made this 98 Bottles adventure a truly poignant and wonderful experience.  

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

BEFORE











AFTER

The Devil is in The Details

After a near disaster (a story we MIGHT share over a cold one sometime)  the new bar top is complete (left) and the outdoor patio railings are installed.  Thursday we passed our final Health Department inspection...all HUGE milestones.  Now we face a long laundry list of things we have to get done before the second bar is fully operational. 

The devil truly IS in the details!  


Still, we're getting closer every single day! We will be closed July 1,2,3 & 4 to install the new storefront and then open the downstairs bar shortly thereafter.  Our Grand Opening is targeted for early August... stop by for a beer and flatbread and check out our progress!