By: Ben Strickland, Fall Advertising Intern
Hardwick’s Bar | Tod “T.R.” Knudson, Elias Hionedes and Tim Hoal
At night time, it’s a high-spirited social gathering bar. Throughout the day, it’s a welcoming group gathering heart. All day, every single day, it’s an inclusive area working to encourage connections. Hardwick’s Bar is partly owned by Tod “T.R.” Knudson, Elias Hionides and Tim Hoal. Celebrating their second anniversary this month, the staff works laborious out of a historic constructing to construct up the LGBTQ+ group’s presence in Downtown Jacksonville, one thing that Downtown has lacked for over 20 years.
“[Downtown] has at all times been a ‘Monday by way of Friday’ office, and we wish to change that,” mentioned Knudson. “We view downtowns as naturally numerous locations, so we want to construct up Downtown in Jacksonville.” Most of Hardwick’s enterprise comes from the nights and weekends. They provide craft cocktails and themed events virtually each night time of the week, with extravagant themes starting from Superstar Nights to varied drag present performances. Surrounded by the Jessie and the unique Carnegie library, they command the eye on the road each night time with the cheers of gays and allies alike. Whereas different bars or nightclubs shut store when Monday rolls round and begin to put together for the following weekend, Hardwick’s retains grinding away toin order to make their imaginative and prescient a actuality: making a protected area that enables anybody to precise themselves naturally.
They open up their area to the group for different occasions and initiatives which might be usually unable to operate throughout different bars’ weekend hours. Hardwick’s affords a number of distinctive occasions throughout the week, together with a run membership on Wednesday nights and karaoke on Thursdays. They’ve additionally opened their area for organizations which might be in search of an inclusive setting. All this effort culminates in making Downtown a extra welcoming and enjoyable place. “I needed someplace refined and funky to go to and really feel open the place I might be with my companion and specific ourselves naturally,” mentioned Knudson.
Specializing in the downtown mannequin set by different cities across the nation as an space welcoming of individuals with totally different identification expressions, Knudson and Holt attempt to enhance Downtown’s the leisure district of Downtown for everybody. “Downtown has at all times been an enormous a part of my understanding of Jacksonville,” mentioned Knudson. “For all of my twenties, I went to locations all alongside Bay Road, then popping out as a homosexual man, desirous to know the place my area was exterior of the Warehouse District.” For Small Enterprise Saturday, Hardwicks can be partnering with Porch Fest as an official After Darkish area. They may have a Home of Cliché e social gathering, celebrating one in all their distinguished drag performers and her mentees. Hardwicks has a ardour in direction of enhancing Downtown’s inclusivity and leisure. Whereas they serve drinks and enjoyable occasions, they provide far more previous the bar and the music to those that are keen to stroll by way of the doorways and share in group. Hardwick’s hopes that individuals come for the nice occasions and keep for the nice individuals.