I went to The Ground/Humble Spirit’s open house last week at Stillwater for a community discussion on their upcoming project at 326 NE Davis St in downtown McMinnville. To be clear, this was just a sneak peek at what may be in the bar space formerly known as The Oak. So take this as it is intended: my opinion of the project and what we were told.

Called The Pub, the new place will have an aesthetic that pays homage to the past businesses that have once been located there. What past businesses, you say? Well, for one, a bookstore! But, yeah, also a few bars. As you can see by the few photos I took of the internal rendering of The Pub, the place has a few different seating options including booth seating upstairs, and bar seating downtown along with table seating. The one thing that I saw that might be a slight shock to those familiar with downtown Mac is a possible early closing time: 10 PM on the weekdays and 11 PM on the weekends.

Regarding food, it was noted that the kitchen would be shared with Humble Spirit. I have to say, the open house showcased an impressive spreadsheet comparing the affordability of food and drink options around downtown and in the county, and several points were made during The Ground’s presentation about their intention to remain competitive in this area. I had the chance to view an early menu, and one noteworthy detail was that The Pub would feature BBQ food from a Franklin super-smoker. (RIP Ribslayer.)

The Ground’s presentation included discussing putting on events in the heart of downtown on Davis Street, having The Pub be all-ages (in some regard) so families could eat together inside, a tentative opening at the end of April, and wanting The Pub to honor the past while doing something new. I’m not sure what I was expecting before I got there, but everyone involved in the project seemed more than competent and I believe the end result will complement their existing businesses and benefit downtown.

-Andrew Brunello