When the sun is up, Eugene’s downtown area may not seem like the most happening place. Most days it can feel nearly deserted, but at night, the once desolate area comes alive.
In the past two to three years the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Olive Street has become a booming bar district with plenty of opportunities for legal drinkers to find entertainment. Downtown has become a prime spot for bar-hopping because there are several bars within a very small area, said Aileron Moran, a bartender at Jameson’s, which opened in December in the former Cafe Paradiso location on Broadway Avenue.
“It’s more of a party scene with a lot of things going on in one place,” she said.
From Sunday night burlesque shows at John Henry’s, weekday poker tournaments at the Downtown lounge, sipping cocktails at the more casual bars or dancing at SNAFU, the area has developed a reputation as having something for everyone. People whose moods change quickly can simply walk a block or two for a completely different atmosphere, making downtown the center of the local bar scene.
Aileron said that Jameson’s generally has a more relaxed atmosphere than other downtown bars because there are no TVs or live music. The club also cultivates an artistic ambiance by putting a new local artist’s work on display each month. She said that character and cheap drinks attract people of all ages.
The Horsehead, which shares an owner with Jameson’s and is right across the street, attracts a lot of college students at night, but has a more diverse crowd during the day, bartender Shannon Sprouse said. Sprouse said that while nighttime crowd tends to be calm, the day shift is often unpredictable and people sometimes come in already under the influence.
“I have to turn people away more often in the day than at night,” she said.
Sprouse said the large number of bars in such close proximity to each other has several advantages. Because the bars are so close, the employees all know each other and will call to warn other bars if they think a patron is going to cause trouble, she said. Another advantage is that Horsehead, which has an extensive menu and will soon be adding new dishes, will deliver its food to other bars in the area, including Jameson’s.
A just few blocks away on 10th Ave. and Pearl St., Emily Green, a bartender at the Downtown Lounge, said she thinks downtown bars are so popular because of the area’s proximity to campus.
Green said that while she doesn’t go out very often, she lives near campus and doesn’t want to go very far away to go to bars.
The Downtown Lounge, which is known for its theme parties, such as the recent “trailer trash ball” and fetish-themed parties, does not have a very big “college crowd,” Green said. Instead, the patrons are mostly people who work all week and want to come in on Friday and Saturday nights to relax. She said the bar tends to see a lot of regular customers instead of bar hoppers and that “it’s weird to see a lot of new faces.”
There are plenty of opportunities for entertainment at this bar, which has poker tournaments three nights a week, karaoke every Sunday and live music three nights a week.
Luckey’s bar on Olive Street is one of the oldest retail establishments in Oregon, owner Jodee Moine, said. If some of the bar’s fixtures look old, it’s because they are. The back bar and the antique pool tables were there when the bar opened over 70 years ago.
Moine loves the history behind her bar, which has been featured in a BBC documentary.
“You’re not going to find a lot of places like that in the Northwest,” she said.
Luckey’s has live music every day and tries to feature performers from all types of genres, which Moine says she is “very proud” of.
Moine said the Eugene downtown area is unique because there are so many different types of establishments.
“You can choose any genre or atmosphere you want,” she said. “So many are within walking distance of Broadway and Olive. You can literally get dropped off and go to all these different places.”