As Capitol Hill craft cocktail bar Liberty transfers over to new, younger hands, founder Andrew Friedman plans on starting a new company allowing restaurants and bars to brand their own drinks. It’s called Industry Spirits.
“It’s very difficult for them to legally own their own brands,” Friedman said. “We’d work with them for brand identity and sell and distribute for them… it’s never been done before.”
Last year, CHS reported on the changes as Friedman worked on a plan for Liberty Bar to be cooperatively purchased and operated by the staff. After working out the details, though, it turned out only two staffers wanted the responsibility: Andrew Dalan and Brandon Paul Weaver.
New Liberty manager Dalan said the hardest part about the transition has been paperwork.
“The Seattle process took a long time and some people’s life goals changed,” Dalan said. “We messed up [the paperwork] at least one time, which took about six extra months out of our timeline. It’s been a learning process for me and the other owner. There’s an awful lot of sitting around and waiting.”
Dalan received a lot of congratulatory texts but hopes to have a more formal party after all the paperwork is done, ideally, by next week.
“We’re not changing the concept. It’s going to be the same but with more attention paid to it,” Dalan said. “I don’t have a four-year-old daughter so I can be here a lot more often, particularly later at night.”
Liberty Bar — a community spot of sushi, espresso, and craft cocktails — remains open 365 days a year, an 11.5-year streak the new owners don’t intend on breaking. Dalan began as Liberty’s bar back and became a main stay due to his constant presence. Friedman described Dalan as “a very hospitable, good fellow.”
Brandon Paul Weaver, meanwhile, joined Liberty six years ago and transitioned from barista to bartender. These days, he’s something of a Seattle celebrity mixologist.
In 2016, CHS wrote about Liberty’s first decade. The craft cocktail craze was still a few years off in Seattle when Friedman opened Liberty in 2006. “I knew I wanted to open a bar … I was dreaming of being on Capitol Hill,” he told CHS at the time.
As the new owners move forward, Friedman said he’s going in on Industry Spirits with Ba Bar manager Michael Chu. Friedman explained well spirits have limited profit so restaurants and bars sometimes struggle to take their cocktail business to a higher level. One way might be for restaurants and bars to build on their craft cocktail reputation and sell their branded drinks in a retail environment. The establishments can also offer their branded bottles of pre-mixed drinks on the menu.
Friedman will also continue his now year-old business Scout, which helps alcohol brands and related products find distribution in Washington.
Friedman opened his first Capitol Hill business back in 1995 called CapitolHill.Net Internet Cafe on Broadway.
At one point, Friedman worked on a concept of related neighborhood bars across the city but that idea dried up when a partner left the business. Earlier this year, his E Olive Way venture Good Citizen shuttered to make way for the expansion of the upstairs pre-school.
Through it all, the bar entrepreneur has also grown a reputation as a political maverick in Seattle, especially regarding the minimum wage. Seattle Magazine wrote Friedman attributed Liberty’s turnover to Seattle’s $15 minimum wage. Friedman says the magazine got the story wrong.
“The minimum wage issue was not a main factor,” Friedman said. “The main factor was about helping someone else start their career. They’re still friends and I still go in there all the time to do work and will help them if they have questions or issues related to operation.”
He said that small businesses aren’t paying the frequently attributed Seattle minimum of $13 an hour because they don’t have to yet. Right now, small businesses pay $11.50 per hour. Even still, Friedman said that’s a big new chunk of change going toward small business expenses.
“Hopefully when restaurants and bars are finding that the profit motive is no longer enough to keep them open, Liberty is an example for how they can turn over their business to their staff,” Friedman said, “to allow their staff to continue to have a job as more and more small businesses close, which I expect to happen as minimum wage goes up.”
Friedman said he’s working with Lionhead’s bar manager to create a spreadsheet documenting the impacts. They hope to help businesses recognize where they’re going to be at as payroll increases so they can plan for it. The data are based on predictive measures, however, from other cities.
As for saying goodbye to his first bar, Friedman says Liberty is good hands.
“I have no question both of them feel very strongly about accumulating the nature of liberty and improving on where we already do pretty well,” Friedman said, “which is provide a place for our neighbors to come hang.”
Liberty is located at 517 15th Ave E. You can learn more at libertybars.com.
