Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridget Dunlap.
Bridget, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started as a single mom with a business plan and three part-time jobs. I had a vision for my first bar on Washington Ave. and signed a lease. After nearly two years of holding the lease and looking for investors, I got some. I gutted and remodeled the whole place into a beautiful bar, Pearl Bar. Within 4 months, I had completely paid off by investors. Within a year, I had started my Lustre Pearl Bar on Rainey Street in Austin, launching an entire entertainment district.
I got to where I am by working my ass off, not taking “no” for an answer, and being tough but also flexible, Now I have 5 bars in Austin and Denver, and am building more.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just paying the bills, keeping a lease before Pearl Bar opened, trying to keep my head above water and not drown were all challenges. Trying to work on building bars while managing a bar staff, at first taking every role as needed from bouncer to bartender to busboy to toilet scrubber was not easy. Now I am grateful that I have a strong, fiercely loyal team who takes good care of all of those things, so I can be visionary and forward-looking while they handle the day to day monkey business.
Dunlap ATX – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are Dunlap ATX. I have 5 bars, 4 in Austin and 1 in Denver now: Lustre Pearl (Rainey), Lustre Pearl East, Clive Bar, Container Bar, and Lustre Pearl Denver. I’m proud to make it, despite numerous setbacks and a couple of restaurants that were beautiful but nonetheless failed. I’m glad that despite being at the mercy of landlords and developers, we still stake our claim on Rainey with 3 businesses within a block of each other, bars that are thriving. I care about service and only hire smart, loyal employees. It makes us feel a bit more like family, though as we grow, I am more like the woman with too many kids. I don’t know every single one as well as I once did. But, you can bet I will if they stick around for a while.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Paying off my investors after 4 months of opening Pearl Bar. Selling Pearl Bar when Rainey started taking off. Basically, I am proudest that I am still standing and my business is thriving after 10 crazy years.
Contact Info:
- Website: bridgetdunlap.com, dunlapatx.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dunlapatx/ https://www.facebook.com/bridgetdunlap/
Image Credit:
Andrew Bennett Photography
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