KEWASKUM — Not exactly a new face in the town of Kewaskum, Iron Haven Bar & Grill has opened at 215 Main St. downtown.
Owner Carissa Hart, a Kewaskum native, said the bar’s name comes from her husband’s longtime profession, and the rustic feel of the building itself fits that theme perfectly.
“My husband is actually a metalworker, so we chose an anvil as the logo,” Hart says. “The saying ‘iron sharpens iron’ is kind of our mantra — we lift each other up and make each other better. We wanted to preserve that saying.”
Hart said the decision to move to this location was born out of a combination of nostalgia and fate.
After years of bartending in Wayne and West Bend, Hart took the plunge and seized the opportunity to start his own place, which he did.
“This was actually my first job, washing dishes at a fish fry on Friday nights when I was 14 in the 2000s,” Hart said. “So when I found this building, I loved it. It’s cute and rustic and cozy.”
The bar had a tentative opening last week with a full bar but limited kitchen. The place isn’t ready to fully open just yet, with some work to be done in the kitchen and signage to be installed, but Hart said he expects it to be busy until the place is up and running and ready to serve everyone who comes through. An exact date for a grand opening hasn’t been set, but Hart expects the place to be fully open by October.
Hart also said that a sense of community is another big part of the store’s identity, and supporting local businesses and the community at large is very important to them. In addition to the bar area, the store also has a backroom area that can be rented out for meetings, events, and other functions for local organizations.
“I’ve bartended around the area, so I’ve built up a certain amount of following, and it was really nice to have some of those people come to the soft opening,” Hart says. “I love supporting each other, so that’s what I do. The more local people I can work with, the better.”
For more Iron Haven Bar & Grill deals and event updates, visit them online at their Facebook page at tinyurl.com/5×347259
