Photo credit: Vaught Frye Larson Architects
We all know about Social, the beloved downtown Fort Collins underground cocktail bar. The speakeasy is classy, it’s beautiful, it has amazing drinks…and now from the same people comes a new project: Union. Replacing the open space across from the Rescue Mission, Union will be a beautiful entrance to the River District upon its opening next year.
Last week I sat down with Raffi Jergerian, the bar manager at Social who is also a part-owner of Union and will be running the restaurant. We talked about the awaited venture. Raffi said, “After working on Social, the idea of Union came about in that we wanted to create a bar concept that stemmed out of an older-era apothecary theme. That’s where the concept is going. It’s unique, and although it has been touched on before, the concept itself hasn’t been released yet.”
However, Raffi did give me a little deeper insight into what Union will be like, stating that the atmosphere lends itself to community. “It will be very luxurious,” he said, “but the menu and the whole thing will be more playful and fun. We knew we’d have a space with a big patio and a high ceiling, and we want something more casual for daytime, but still playing off old classics.” He added that the bar program will build off both old and regional classics going back to the 1800s.
Additionally, drinks at Union will be of lower alcohol content, more fitting of an all-day type of place, and the bar will be central in the facility. Raffi also noted the architecture will be unique, falling in line with the budding river district and also retaining the old classics of the area. “A lot of great thought and design is going into this. We’ve got a lot of really amazing people and architects working on this.”
Challenges of bringing this dream to a reality, especially for owners Ty Fulcher and Ryan Houdek, have been buying the land and figuring out how to build from the ground up. “They took Social and gutted the space and built something beautiful,” said Raffi, “But with Union we started from scratch, and there have been a lot of politics, governmental barriers and challenges we’ve had to face.”
Groundbreaking for Union. Front row, from left to right: Christine Houdek, Ryan Houdek, Ty Fulcher, Raffi Jergerian. Photo credit: PHOCO
When I asked Raffi if Union will collaborate with the surrounding businesses and Fort Collins community, he responded, “It’s kind of what you do in downtown Fort Collins. Whenever possible we will work with other businesses.” Part of downtown Fort Collins is the community. The city thrives because of its foundational value of community, and Union represents the merging of past, present, and future for the rising River District and Old Town area. Here at The Articulate, we neighbor the space where Union will be. We anticipate the presence the restaurant will have and its role in transforming the area, setting a new stage for the River District.
Speaking of The Articulate, I asked Raffi what advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs and solopreneurs (like many of the current and future Articulate members). As a well-respected and successful service industry professional, his advice is backed by years of experience and skill: “Be realistic, and create things within the means you can create them – and provide them well. All that aside, the most important thing is the service and hospitality aspect. Creating something great is one thing, but taking care of people, well that comes from a really thought out place.”
I concluded by asking what he wants people to know about Union prior to its opening. Along the same lines of the experience of Social, he wants people to know that they can anticipate what Union is going to be like: another place that will provide great service, hospitality and design. He’s excited to offer another place like that for all types of people.
With all that said, an image of Union was conjured up in my mind (albeit only partial at this point) – and it’s certainly a place I want to go. Based on our conversation, I envision a place with character, history, class, and comfort. A place like Social in that it is beautifully designed, statement-making, and offers quality in all areas: from hospitality and service, to food and drink, to seating and decor. It’s very name holds a following because of its reputation. Everyone knows Union, and everyone loves Union; it’s a landmark.