Jolly Good Yello

How Yello'bar got bought, got named and got a life.

by Will Dean

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Published: May 16, 2007

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We love our corner bars. It seems like those street-anchoring drinking places have always been there � pillars of taproom mythology. But just like the Hindu, Norse and Greek traditions, each has its own creation story. Accordingly, the coronation of Yello'bar which opened in early April, was made possible by a pantheon of Graduate Hospital residents.

The bar's two owners, Ken Hyland and Kirk Phillips, became friends when they moved onto the same Catharine Street block back in 2002. After visiting the bar's previous incarnation, Pandora's Box, Phillips started to consider the possibilities. "The second time I was there with a friend, I said, 'You know somebody's going to buy this and turn it into a yuppie bar,'" he laughs.

Turns out he was only half-joking. With Yello'bar, you get your Sunday brunch, microbrews and nontraditional menu � but you're also welcome to swig Miller Lite and watch the Phillies blow it again. But above all else, a desire to make the surrounding neighborhood a destination fueled the project. "We're trying to � us and the local businesses � make this a place to go out to," says Hyland.

St. Matthew's Baptist Church bought the building now housing Yello'bar four years ago. In 2005, Hyland, who works at Arcadia University, and Phillips, an accountant, took it off their hands. Two years of hard preparation followed. Luckily, area residents eager for another hangout helped the bar through the Herculean labors of construction. Marco Angalucci of Marguerite V. Rodgers Ltd. selected the modern decor; Dave and Sharon Quinn of Penn Lighting took care of illuminating fixtures. Everyone was so enthused about the project, they all worked for free.

That's not to say the process went entirely smoothly. In late 2006, thieves broke in and gutted the walls. "At that point, there was no sheet rock up so you could see the copper [piping]," says Hyland. "On Friday, there was copper. On Monday, no copper."

Setbacks aside, the work resulted in a handsome interior. The dark wood bar features nearly 360-degree seating; there's also a backyard beer garden, an homage to Hyland's birthplace of Cork, Ireland. "One of the things I miss from Ireland is sitting outside, drinking a pint," he reminisces.

In the kitchen, chef James Ceravolo, formerly of L2, dishes out cuisine capable of matching the contemporary aesthetic. The menu features eats like an Angus beef burger on a pretzel roll, crab quesadillas and a Guinness beef stew. Fine microbrews like Pyramid Apricot Ale and Stone Ruination IPA made the draft cut.

Then there's the name. Though residents already colloquially referred to the space as "the yellow bar" due to its former exterior, Hyland and Phillips decided to formally elicit the opinions of future customers. So they held a naming contest, complete with a Web site and submission boxes in local businesses. After narrowing the field to a handful of possibilities, they held a raucous drawing at the nearby Sidecar Bar & Grille. Initially, the name Asylum was picked, but owners bowed to the inevitable and went with what everyone called it anyway.

The spot finally opened Saturday, April 7, with an unbreakable optimism � that was temporarily shattered a few days later. "[That] Sunday, a guy who was off his meds came in," says Hyland. A minor altercation ensued; the police were called. The next morning, Hyland found all the windows broken. "I was driving to work and I just said, 'Oh my god,'" he says. The glass was replaced in two days, but no arrests were made and it's unclear if the two incidents were related.

But enthusiasm from residents has helped the bar succeed in its first month. On a recent Thursday night, happy drinkers lined the bar while the backyard tables were crammed full of friends discussing the mayoral race. Whoever's the god or goddess of yuppie bars � Gentrificus, perhaps? � he or she is certainly smiling on Yello'bar.

(w_dean@citypaper.net)

Yello'bar, 2425 Grays Ferry Ave., 215-735-3533.

 

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