We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadia Hare and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nadia, what do you attribute your success to?
For us, the most important factor behind our success is keeping it simple and staying relatively local. We use chalkboards for our draft list, and we have a club for regulars where you get your own handmade mug. We don’t have a bunch of TV’s, you’re more likely to see someone reading a book at The Forge. Business wise, we don’t carry debt and keep overhead low
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve worked in the service industry for a long time, mostly while working in the medical field for over 20 years. I switched to full time service industry around 10 years ago. Worked my way up to manager and eventually part owner. Lots of folks think running a bar or bartending is easy, but it’s not. It takes a lot to run a bar, I spend a lot of times behind the scenes making sure things go smoothly for the business day. I think it’s important to put a personal touch on things so I do handwritten signs instead of printing things out. Being slightly in the public eye, I wish people would reach out beyond the business and get to know the human behind the brand.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One day would be spent visiting local breweries, a few of my favorites are Hello Brewing, Odell, and Verboten. For bars in Ft Collins, I like Social, Surfside 7, and Lucky Joe’s. The best views in town are up at Horsetooth Rock and I love taking my dog on hikes in that area. Anywhere with a patio for food, Vern’s is a diner in my small town and we would start there with giant cinnamon rolls and B&G. I also live by a taco food truck and it’s great. Mishawaka is for sure on the list, it’s a beautiful venue on the Poudre Rover. I love cooking and hosting so the rest of the trip would be spent in the back yard with the grill going.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It takes a village! We have so many amazing regulars and friends that refer us musicians. Lid Dixon, a local musician always gives us shoutouts on his radio show and plays here himself. We also have a relationship with a local recording studio and have been lucky enough to host some big names for intimate shows.
Website: www.theforgepublickhouse.com
Instagram: theforgepub
Facebook: The Forge Publick House