Jeff Jones has had his eye on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Superior Street in downtown Toledo for nearly 10 years.
After a decade of patiently waiting, the born-and-raised Toledoan has finally secured the space, which he turned into Whiskey Red Saloon, 505 Jefferson Ave., located within the historic Commodore Perry building.
Jones acts as the owner of the new country-themed bar, with its doors first opening to the public in early July.
“We want to bring country music downtown, live country music downtown, and change the atmosphere of downtown,” he said. “We want to bring a more positive light downtown, and I think we’ve done that.”
The owner is determined to add to the revival of downtown Toledo, providing guests with a safe and lively space open seven days a week from noon to 2 a.m.
“The coolest thing that we do with our place is every Wednesday night we have country line dancing,” the owner added.
Walking by the place Aug. 14 saw the corner establishment, most recently fully occupied by Veritas Cork and Craft until that wine bar closed more than half a decade ago, packed with people for this event.
“It’s not just dancing, but we actually have an instructor that comes in for two hours and does line dance classes for people and then we have two and half hours of open dance with a DJ. … Most places that do that charge a cover of $10. I don’t charge anything. It’s all free.”
Whiskey Red Saloon was designed to heighten the atmosphere of downtown, he said, but not take away from the other bars in the area.
“I don’t view myself as a competitor to these businesses down here, these bars,” Jones said. “I view myself as an enhancement to these bars in downtown Toledo. The more people I bring down, the more people go to those bars as well.”
The bar currently offers your standard drink menu, along with select bar snacks, like homemade salsa, that Jones “promises you’ll never have a better salsa in your entire life.”
Khamri Harris, bartender at Whiskey Red Saloon, said the opening of the saloon has been “perfect,” especially being right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of downtown.
“I have a lot of regulars that come in and they’re having a bad day, or not doing so good, and I always tend to uplift them,” she said.
The saloon is a welcoming environment, Harris said, and it stands out, along with Chevy’s Place two blocks west, since they are among the few country bars in the area.
Jones added that on top of the live music and line dancing, the space will also act as a podcasting studio as fall sports season is approaching.
“We have the University of Toledo, John Savage. … His grandson is actually going to be starting a podcast from our building,” Jones shared. “It’s a UT sports podcast.”
In the coming months, he said the bar is planning to host trivia nights, karaoke, and other DJ events.
“We try to be as unique as we can be,” the owner said. “We try to be as inviting as we can be, and as diverse as we can.”
Harris agreed that the people have overall been pretty receptive to this strategy so far.
“Just engaging with others and getting to know a lot of people. … It’s just great.”
To learn more about Whiskey Red Saloon and its coming events, visit its Facebook page.
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