Tavern owners aim for inviting atmosphere

David Burke sees his new business, 5 O’Clock Somewhere, as more than just a tavern.
“People work hard during the week,” he said. “They just like to go out and relax for while, maybe see some friends.
“This is a place for the whole family,” Burke said.
Burke and his wife, Robin, purchased 5 O’Clock Somewhere, 113 E. Jackson Ave., in April and spent the better part of six weeks redoing much of the building’s interior.
Several walls were removed, walls and floors scrubbed and an assortment of decorations placed to provide an inviting atmosphere for clientele.
And he’s not finished.
A team of work crews were outside the building Thursday, ripping out old chunks of sidewalk so a new concrete patio can be poured.
The plan, Burke explained, is to erect a fence around the patio to allow patrons to imbibe outdoors in his beer garden. Since cigarettes are banned indoors, the patio will serve as an ideal location for smokers as well.
Building the fence required special permission from the Iola City Council because the fence will encroach the city’s right-of-way.
The council approved his request.
“I just want to have a nice looking, inviting atmosphere for people to enjoy themselves,” he said. “I was very pleased to know the council agreed that a fence would work.”
Burke also has contacted neighboring business owners, including Scooters, a private club across the street, about various functions, including street dances.
“How much fun would it be to go out some night and listen to music right off the square?” he asked. “We need activities like that to get people downtown again.”
But for the time being, he will continue to focus on improving the building’s interior.
He is continually gathering decorations, many of which carry an Old West motif. Several NASCAR items and his collection of model trucks line shelves around the front area.
5 O’Clock Somewhere features three pool tables, a dart board, television and several booths spread throughout two large rooms. The bar itself winds from the front room to the back, ensuring customers are always within contact of wait staff, the Burkes or their daughter, Amanda Collins.
“We want to set up an area for karaoke,” he said.
“And I really want a shuffleboard table,” Robin interjected.
And then there’s the ceiling, one of the few interior items they were unable to replace before opening.
“We had to work pretty fast to get this place open,” Burke said. “You can’t make money if you’re closed, and there’s only so much time to do these things.”
But he’s not slowing down.
Regular customers take it upon themselves at each visit to figure out what sort of decorations are added from one day to the next.
This week included adding a pair of mounted turtle doves on a nest above the building’s west entrace.
The building itself carries a bit of history. It was originally a funeral parlor, Burke said, and served a variety of other businesses, including a barber shop and garden center.
It most recently was Beer Boulevard before the Burkes bought the building.
“I like changing things around,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
5 O’Clock Somewhere is open from 3 p.m. to midnight on Monday through Thursday and from noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday.