‘A little sexy, a little fancy, a little divey’: New natural wine bar opens in ‘iconic’ Bellingham spot
Bellingham’s historic Herald Building will now be home to another new business — a nostalgic natural wine bar and bottle shop, fitted with thrifted tables, a record player and groovy music.
Starla’s Tavern, a natural wine and beer bar, was created by Jordan Koplowitz, a Bellingham native, and Christy Wyble. The pair is an engaged couple who previously operated Blotto, a pizza restaurant in Seattle.
“When we decided to close that place down, Christy and I were kind of like, what’s next for us? We decided to move and we decided that we wanted to open up another place, and here we are,” Koplowitz said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
“We wanted to go deeper into the wine side of it and felt like Bellingham needed a place that was just natural wine-focused,” Wyble said.
“The reason we went for a natural wine spot is because that is our favorite thing to drink. We are obsessed with it. It’s just what we love, and it’s what we know the most about, so this was definitely within our expertise, and we also felt like it was something that we could focus on, that not really many other people are focusing on Bellingham,” Koplowitz said.
But this new bar is about more than just its natural wine.
“We’ve always talked about how a lot of times wine bars, especially, can come across like fancy or like special occasion places that make it not quite as approachable. And so in opening this space, it was really important to us to try to make this place as much of a watering hole as possible,” Koplowitz said.
Starla’s Tavern isn’t named after a specific person but instead encompasses the vibe and atmosphere the couple and co-owners wanted to bring to Bellingham.
“We wanted to and go for a type of atmosphere that feels kind of nostalgic, like feels like it could really exist In any like part of the mid-century. And like, kind of 80s, 70s, loungy, kind of divey, a little fancy,” Koplowitz said.
“When we came up with the name Starla’s, that evokes that feeling to us. It feels a little sexy, a little fancy, but also a little divey, like, it could really be any of those. And we just felt like it fit perfectly,” Koplowitz said.
The couple also wants to make their bar more affordable, offering $10 pours of wine and hearty snacks.
Starla’s Tavern was crafted to not only be a space of community and hangouts but to encompass and add to the atmosphere of the historic Herald Building.
“We love the Herald Building. It’s so iconic. And the space we really liked because of it’s original flooring that was in here when it was built in 1925, and the vibe of the space. It felt like we could add to the space while still making it feel like it was appropriate to be in the building,” Koplowitz said.
Wyble and Koplowitz are currently the only workers at the tavern. They plan to host events and possibly expand their snack offerings after opening.
“We’d definitely love to have events. We talked about maybe a bingo night. We hope to have some DJs in here, and we have cool speakers set up. We hope to have wine tasting, and hopefully, we’ll have a little wine club,” Wyble said.
“We tried to make it a place that feels like you could come to any time, like a place where people come together and hang out and drink and come any time of the day or night, and try to be a little bit more approachable with wine, and a little bit more casual,” Koplowitz said.
This approachable and casual atmosphere can also be seen in the tavern’s decor, as Wyble and Koplowitz built many parts of the space themselves, thrifted tables and furniture, and brought decor from their previous restaurant in Seattle.
“Coming into the community, people have been super helpful and supportive. I think with the space, our desire is to be embedded and integrated into the community as much as possible. We want to be a part of Bellingham and its nightlife scene for many years to come, if possible,” Koplowitz said.
Starla’s Tavern will serve natural wines, beer on tap and a variety of snacks such as bread and butter, salads, and roasted meats. The tavern also has a bottle shop in the back, where visitors can drop in during open hours to purchase wine by the bottle.
Starla’s Tavern is hosting a soft opening from 4-11 p.m. Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17. The space will officially open on Wednesday, August 21.
The 21 and up bar plans to be open regularly from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 4-11 p.m. Friday. It’s located at 1149 N State Street, which was formerly home to The Fat Beet restaurant.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 1:59 PM.
