‘We’re more like caretakers’

Couple starts new chapter for Kelly’s Bar and Grill

NEWPORT - People come and go, but Kelly’s Bar and Grill, the second oldest continuously operating bar in Washington (according to lore), has remained. That’s what new owners Zach and Crystal Kuno want in the long run.

“We’re more like caretakers,” Crystal says. “Yes, legally we own it, but the bar has changed hands so many times over the years and it’s still here and we want it to be here after we’re gone. Hopefully, we can preserve it for the next generation.”

Opened as the Newport Club saloon in 1894, this year Kelly’s celebrates 130 years of being Newport’s longest standing watering hole. In September, former owners Kenny Arthur and Mark and Clare Clark sold the business to husbandand- wife team Zach and Crystal. Zach, who grew up in Elk, is retired Air Force and Crystal, who went to high school in Newport, but graduated from Mead, worked in accounting. The pair met when they were teens singing karaoke at Fizzie Mulligan. They have four grown children.

“It’s an opportunity to be involved in the community and in something that’s a been a staple of Newport since the town was built,” Zach says of the couple’s decision to enter the service industry.

Kelly’s still sports much of the original interior with its stamped-tin ceilings, wainscoted walls, and wood floor.

Historical photos from the Pend Oreille County Historical Society and donated by patrons hang from the walls, including that of the legendary bear that was kept out back and purportedly used as a wrestling partner with customers who had a few too many. The embellished back bar spans a full 24 feet and is nearly 12 feet high with leaded, stained glass framing the mirror.

It’s said that the bar was built in Philadelphia in the late 1800s by the Brunswick- Balke-Collendar Co. and shipped around the Cape of Good Hope to San Francisco, finally arriving in Newport on a threemonth wagon trip.

It’s that original character that the Kuno’s mean to maintain.

“People aren’t going to see any big aesthetic changes,” Zach says. “It’s an old building, so we’ll work on its bones and keeping it up. We upgraded the audio and visual system, otherwise we want to keep it as people know it.”

Though the pair are always on the lookout for more historical photographs or memorabilia that people would care to share.

“If anyone has any pictures or souvenirs, we’d love to see them,” Crystal says. “They aren’t for us, but we’re hoping that if people don’t want them then they could stay at Kelly’s, regardless of who owns it.”

Next year Crystal says they would like to start incorporating local produce and meat into Kelly’s menu offerings. They currently get fresh cheesecake from The Station on Highway 41 for desserts.

“We’re always looking for ways to support other businesses,” Crystal says.

Another aspect of the business the couple appreciates is the people who work there, some of whose ancestors frequented the establishment when it was still new. Kelly’s Bar and Grill currently has 20 employees.

“They do a terrific job and we’re thankful that this is where they work,” Zach says. “Some of them have been here for a while. They have been able to buy homes and provide for their families and that’s no small thing.”

Besides food and drink, Kelly’s offers broadcasts of sports games (including local Newport football games), live music and trivia. The establishment is family-friendly, so kids are welcome, they’re just not allowed by the bar.

Reservations for parties of 10 or more are highly recommended.

“When you think about all of the history that has happened while Kelly’s has been around it’s pretty humbling,” Zach says.

“A lot has happened here from business dealings, marriages, divorces, birthdays, wakes, celebrations— it’s seen a lot.”

Kelly’s is located at 324 West 4th Street. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday- Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday.

For more information, call 509-447-3267 or go to www.facebook.com/people/ Kellys-Bar-Grill.