KEWASKUM — Kewaskum has a not-so-new face in town as the Iron Haven Bar & Grill has opened up shop downtown at 215 Main St.
According to owner Carissa Hurt, who is originally from Kewaskum, the bar’s name hails from her husband’s longtime career and the rustic nature of the building itself lent itself to that theme.
“My husband is actually an ironworker, so we chose an anvil as our kind of logo,” said Hurt. “‘Iron sharpens iron,’ from Proverbs, is kind of our mantra; building each other up and making each other better. We wanted to keep that.”
According to Hurt, the decision to move into the space came from a combination of nostalgia and fate.
Hurt, who has years of bartending experience in Wayne and West Bend, saw the opportunity to take the leap and start her own establishment, took it and ran with it.
“This place was actually my first job, washing dishes for fish fries on Friday nights in the 2000s when I was 14 years old,” said Hurt. “So, when I found this building, I loved it. It’s rustic, cute, and cozy.”
The bar held its soft opening last week featuring a full bar but limited kitchen. While the establishment is not yet 100% ready to go, with some kitchen work here and some signage there needed, Hurt said that she expects things to stay busy as they find their footing and is more than ready to serve anyone who comes in. While no definitive grand opening date has been set, Hurt expects the business to be fully up and running by October.
Hurt also mentioned that the sense of community is another large part of the establishment’s identity, and that supporting local businesses and the community as a whole is very important. In addition to the bar area, the establishment features a backroom area that can be rented out for local organization meetings, events and more.
“I’ve bartended all over the community, so I’ve kind of built a following, and those people have been showing up for the soft open, and that’s been really great,” said Hurt. “I’m just all about supporting each other and that kind of thing. The more local people that I can work with, the better.”
For more information and to stay up-to-date on the deals and events at the Iron Haven Bar & Grill, citizens can go online and visit their Facebook page at tinyurl.com/5×347259.