Star Bar Ready to Shine

One Barrel and Jade Monkey owners collaborate, open bar in Capitol East District

Star Bar, 756 East Washington Avenue, is on the first floor of The Constellation building.

Star Bar, 756 East Washington Avenue, is on the first floor of The Constellation building.

A new bar opening in the 700 block of East Washington Avenue plans to fuse Madison’s near-East Side industrial heritage with the present-day funky vibe of the Tenney and Marquette neighborhoods.

Star Bar, operated by Peter Gentry and Hawk Sullivan, opens January 16 on the first floor of The Constellation building, part of a slate of first floor retail offerings for the 12-story mixed-used building which opened last year.

Both men grew up in the Marquette neighborhood and hope to create a bar that is accessible to the surrounding neighborhood while also seizing on the rising activity in the Capitol East District. Gentry opened One Barrel Brewing on Atwood Avenue in 2012, while Sullivan is a longtime business owner with three other hospitality establishments in greater Madison.  Continue reading

Ale Flows on Atwood

One Barrel Brewing hopes to involve patrons in the brewing process

The word “Nano” is now a trendy way to describe something on a small scale. One Barrel Brewing Company, Madison’s first nanobrewery, opened Friday (July 6) on Atwood Avenue in Schenk’s corners, and hopes to embody this concept by offering small batches of experimental beers in the spirit of home brewing while making it accessible to all.

Photographer and Atwood neighborhood resident Nataraj Hauser was fourth in line for the opening and reports that it quickly grew to around 75 and soon the place, which was once a grocery store early in the 20th century, was packed with people.  Continue reading