Holman’s Whiskey Club | Thebeerchaser

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In a recent post, I used the term “bar revivalists” to describe the Three-on-a-Match Bar Group which totally refurbished the wonderful Holy Ghost Bar after the ignominious 2017 termination of the Pub at the End of the Universe in the same location.

And that group under the leadership of Ezra Ace Caraeff has done an outstanding job resurrecting, if you will, four other Portland dives: The Old Gold, Paydirt, Tough Luck and Hi-Top Tavern.

That said, the Match Group doesn’t match the premier Portland bar revivalists – Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault (hereafter B & A), whose efforts have breathed new life into numerous Portland watering holes and which I’ve loved reviewing.

They include the Vern, the Double Barrel, the Sandy Jug, the Bantam Tavern, the Alibi, the Lay Low Tavern, the Elvis Room, Gold Dust Meridian and the infamous Sandy Hut (known to regulars as the “Handy Slut”). You can read Beerchaser reviews on the ones above with the blue links. (Marcus Archambeault confirmed that they no longer operate the Bantam.)

Most of these would be just a memory if it were not for this entrepreneurial pair. The photos below might beckon you and they are all gems. Gold Dust Meridian was a little bland on the exterior, but the artwork, amazing cocktails and outstanding happy hour were a great combination.

Thanks to their foresight and capital the “Slut” celebrated its 100th birthday in August 2023 with a block party including a mechanical bull and purple gorilla. May the taps continue to flow at the Sandy Hut for another 100 years!

Oh the History

Holman’s rich history permeates the expansive quarters and imbues it with great character. As described in an excerpt from their website and a news article:

“Welcome to Holman’s where good food has been served for more than 80 years. Originally a small lunch counter, legend says that during Prohibition was a bootlegger’s saloon. Then, after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, it became the “Hello Inn”.

“Holman’s was first opened by the family behind the Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard funeral home of the same name way back in 1933. Oregon Live 4/21/23 (#1)

The Hello Inn

Now if it weren’t for the bar entrepreneurs (B & A) Holman’s might have met the same fate as many other Portland bars and restaurants after it closed when the pandemic hit.

Rather than a permanent closure, however, a refurbished Holman’s reopened on July 31, 2023, after a three-year closure. The establishment even has its own Wikipedia page.

The categories below will tell you why after three visits checking it out, I would suggest Boothby and Archambeault have scored again.

The Staff

Ordering of both food and drinks at Holman’s is done at the bar, so during rush times, the bartenders can be a bit harried, but my experience at lunch and mid-afternoon echoes this 11/24 Yelp review:

“Fun atmosphere and the staff/service is outstanding. some of the nicest and best bartenders in the whole dang town.”

Both Zoe and Adam, when I presented my blog card and asked them a slew of questions, were friendly and helpful.

The Story

As I’ve related in numerous posts, I love bars and breweries housed in buildings with a history – previous other uses and expansion from the original space. Part of the charm of this watering hole is the partitioning into different sections – each with its own history and ambiance – from the bar itself to the lunchroom, to the game room, to the patio.

Bill and Judy Chase, the owners for many years before the transition in 2023, state on the website:

“When we bought Holman’s in the 70’s, seating was limited to less than a dozen people. Through the years we have expanded by adding the North Dining Room (formerly a part of a Rexall Drug Store), the Game Room (formerly a bicycle and lawnmower repair shop), and our Garden Patio (which was converted from an old used appliance graveyard).”

And where else in Portland (or any city) will you see a mural of the Last Supper in the lone bathroom for the bar – with minimal damage from graffiti.

The Museum Effect

A trip to Holman’s is tantamount to a museum visit. Of course, there is some of the typical dive-bar bric-a-bric which always enhances the environment, but the stuff on the walls at Holman’s transcends that. I would love (when I had about two days) to quiz the owners on the origin of each piece.

Take these two examples of great bars which are now gone, but their legacy, preserved in part at Holman’s will continue their place in the legacy of Portland bar annals. First, the Club 21 (formerly owned by B & A) which was housed in a former orthodox church closed on January 15, 2017.

In spite of the name – not a strip club – just a great dive bar.

One can see the historic Club 21 sign in the game room at Holman’s as well as a number of the mounted wildlife trophies and orthodox church icons which grace the walls. Evidently, some of it is also at the Lay Low Tavern.

I think the old-fashioned pinball machines, now in the game room, as well as picture with the pup eating the clam chowder, may have also emanated from the demise of Club 21.

But two even more dramatic examples came from a wonderful family bar named Sloans Tavern. Sloan’s closed in December, 2022.

Take a look below at the cab of the Freightliner Truck, once at Sloans, (left photo below) which is now on the south exterior wall at Holman’s along with the sign and the original awning. It may be one of the only such displays in the country. From the 2015 Beerchaser review:

“The bar was opened by Bob Sloan and his wife, Shirley in 1979. The Sloans owned and operated a custom auto body and paint shop next door – started in 1954 and still operating – they specialized in Freightliner trucks.

As evidenced by the amazing pictures in the bar, Bob Sloan also did skilled body and restorative work on classic autos. When a café next door to the body shop run by an elderly lady closed, they bought the property and opened the bar. (The entire property was originally a creamery that opened in 1926.)

And in what was described in 2012 by Willamette Week as:

“….the best juke box in Portland… you can watch a Chicago Coin’s Animatronic Big Band Box go into action while one of your favorite oldies is played. It’s one of about ten still working in the US and was manufactured in the 1950’s. As described in the “WW 2008 Bar Guide”

“The true gem of the place is the jukebox—an ancient machine, it’s capped with a glass dome containing a miniature (eight-piece) plastic band (and singer) that moves in time to the music (mostly oldies).” (2008 Willamette Week Bar Guide)

While it may not still work and be synched with the juke box, the classic animatronic band at least is preserved at Holman’s.

Preserved from the ’50’s

“Both businesses (tavern and auto shop) closed for good Dec. 30 following Sloan’s sale of the property to developers—they plan to build a seven-story apartment building on the land, and (Shirley) Sloan will settle into a well-earned retirement.” Willamette Week 1/3/22

One of the treats of frequenting an historic dive is also the old beer signs and Holman’s does not disappoint.

Old Guys at Home in an Old Bar

A favorite Beerchasing group of mine comprises seven male friends I’ve known for years. We first connected as a group in 2023 at the Basement Pub and then a year later at the renovated Sandy Jug (formerly a strip club called Pirates’ Cove).

It seemed appropriate to convene at Holman’s even though none of the group was alive and kicking in 1933 although we’re all at least still breathing in 2025.

At Holman’s in mid-January, two of the group (both retired lawyers) were traveling, but we there were still three attorneys in our group in mid-January. One of the group, Dr. Doug Walta is a retired physician.

Wanting to make my late ninth-grade algebra teacher (Don Gribble) proud, I figured the equation was balanced as one physician is the equivalent of three lawyers.

Another repeat attender was Tom Kelly, who serves as a role model for all of us based on his long career as the President of the Neil Kelly Company and his years of service in public and non-profit causes. Jim Westwood and John Kelly were also there.

A new addition to our group, who I invited after only recently meeting him, was another retired lawyer – Doug Blomgren, who after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, had a distinguished legal career in the areas of tax, real estate, construction and development and litigation.

For many years in the Midwest and then in Portland, he represented for-profit and non-profit housing developers and housing authorities. Doug was also immersed for years in the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPS) litigation when he worked for the Department of Justice.

The main requirement for admittance to this group, however, is a robust (and perhaps cynical) sense of humor and you can see from the photo below (he’s on the left), the initial reaction was positive.

The caption for the photo above should be “organ recital.” That’s because given our collective longevity, the first thirty minutes is spent updating each other on health and anatomical issues.

When I returned to Holman’s, it was for lunch with one of my favorite people (okay, he’s also a lawyer) who’s a former Intellectual Property partner at the Schwabe firm and now works as an Assistant County Counsel for Washington County.

John Mansfied has Beerchased at numerous public houses ranging from the aforementioned Sandy Hut, to the Slammer, Mock Crest Tavern and the Tabor Tavern (right photo below)

John had a French dip and I had a chicken sandwich. They were okay, but not the highlight of my visits and a bit spendy. although the free parking in their lot mitigated it. That said, I plan to return for one of their excellent breakfasts.

Holman’s has created a community and has live music every Thursday, its patio is always filled to capacity during the good weather and some holdovers from when the Crane’s owned it such as Bloody Mary Sunday’s, a Whiskey Club and the “Holman’s famous ‘Meal Wheel’ ….After enjoying your meal, just give the wheel a spin and if you match up the two Red Arrows… your food is FREE!”

One issue that seems incongruous given the business acumen of B & A, is why the Holman’s website is out-of-date and has some erroneous information – most notably operating hours – which are noon to 2:30 AM on weekdays and 10 to 2:30 on weekends. It’s posted by their front door, but wrong on the website. Their Facebook page is also not very current.

Given how many I still have to explore, Holman’s is one of the few bars to which I will keep returning – if only to say hello to Adam and Zoe and Adam. It’s a Portland treasure. (#2)