Launched silently this month by Remi DeMatteo and Lance and Scott Paddock, Pelican to Mars emits an ambiance that transfers visitors to another time and setting—just like the group’s other job, Hayride Scandal on Corporate Boulevard.
According to DeMatteo, that time and setting is “your grandma and grandpa’s house in the ‘50s.” Similarly, Lance Paddock explains is as “if somebody had the money to build their own really nice garage bar.”
At Pelican to Mars visitors very first participate in a little home similar to previous times. Past the limit and into the “garage” the bar is equipped with a big refrigerator of canned drinks, a tap wall with beer and white wine, a growing menu of craft mixed drinks and 2 Toki highball makers that flawlessly mix supercharged soda with alcohol.
Lance says offering the bar a retro feel wasn’t tough thinking about the building was older and had actually hung on to a great deal of its initial appeal. The owners dealt with Sharae Hand of Interiors by Sharae to include additional aspects that connected into the bar’s timeless style.
“It already had this mid-century modern feel with the color and the sloped roof,” he says. “One of our things to do was to take what it is and go with it.”
Vintage travel concepts are sprayed throughout the space. Suitcases plastered with beer and alcohol logo designs are shown and vintage-inspired location posters decorate the walls. There’s even a split-flap board that turns to reveal what tunes are playing through the speakers and what specials are available. According to the creators, there’s more to come.
“We’d like to encourage future guests to send their postcards to us, and we’ll put them up on the walls,” Scott says. “I’m going to add my collection as well. We’ll have a little setup with a typewriter, so you can type your own postcard to send to your friends. We’ll have Pelican to Mars postcards you can send to your buddies.”
In addition to the vintage-inspired space, Pelican to Mars is likewise intending to go far for itself as a uniquely dog-friendly area. There are strategies to build out the outside patio area so that human customers can have more space with their animals. The trio likewise says there will be a dog park contributed to the back of the outdoor patio so that animals can stroll, do their business and play. Additionally, there will be hooks established along the fence so that leashes can be connected.
“There aren’t a lot of good spots like that here,” Lance says. “There are places that allow you to bring your pets … but we wanted something where it was more integrated and more out front. We wanted it to be part of the brand, and we wanted to build out an environment that was very conducive to dogs.”
According to the creators, there’s even a mixed drink list in the works that is matched for animals. These beverages will utilize fresh vegetables and fruits, and will, naturally, be alcohol totally free.
For the people, Pelican to Mars already provides a curated menu of mixed drinks crafted by the bar’s drink director John Dupont, that includes rum-focused drinks that utilize freshly-squeezed juices.
“We were going for kind of a salute to tiki,” Dupont says. “There are going to be some traditional tiki drinks, but then there’s going to be some of my adaptations on a lot of things as well.”
As the owners build out the outside space, which is slated to be bigger than the indoor location, they prepare to host more regional food trucks and occasions. So far the bar has actually had actually boiled crawfish nights for sports video games and has actually hosted the Sweet Carib food truck, which will make a look on the Saturday of the grand opening weekend also. On Sunday, Smoke & Boil will be set up and serving crawfish around 2 p.m.
Though this bar has actually lots of special functions—from the classic style to the pet-friendly outdoor patio—DeMatteo says, at its core, Pelican to Mars is planned to be a raised take on an at-home bar for the neighborhood.
“We really played to the space’s strengths,” he says. “To us, even with Hayride, the most important thing is to have a warm, welcoming, non-snobbish atmosphere. And this has absolutely accomplished that.”
Pelican to Mars will have its grand opening weekend event this Saturday, Feb. 25, from twelve noon to 2 a.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26, from twelve noon to midnight. There will be live music from regional bands on both days beginning around 3 p.m. Check out the bar’s social media for more info.
