Drinks, darts and new digs

By: 
Jamie Hult/Journal staff writer

Located a mile west of Brandon in Corson, Bottom's Up has been jazzed up with the addition of a second level, more square space feet and seating and new flooring, countertops, coolers and bathrooms. Photo by Jamie Hult/BV Journal 

Owner Troy Novak is celebrating 20 years for the business, which was once a gas station and garage. He wants Bottom's Up to maintain the dive bar feel that draws patrons from miles around. Jamie Hult/BV Journal

Jamie Hult

Staff writer

 

It’s a local watering hole where everybody knows your name. It’s also a popular destination for people from miles around who just want to chill with a few cold beers.

Bottoms Up draws a wide crowd, said Troy Novak, owner of the Corson bar.

“We get millionaires who come in, and we get guys living from paycheck to paycheck. Nobody’s better than anyone else.”

This month marks Bottoms Up’s grand re-opening to celebrate a major makeover and expansion. The bar is introducing 10 varieties of beer on tap, too. 

There’s a lot to celebrate. Construction started in 2011 with an outdoor patio, followed by an addition to the main level and, in 2014, a second floor. 

“When the smoking ban came in, that was when we started remodeling. It seemed like the perfect time to freshen up,” Novak said. 

The new, loft-style layout makes more room for private parties and dart competition. Darts are big at Bottoms Up. 

“At one time we had 100 teams playing out here at once,” Novak said. “We’ll pass that this year for sure.”

If you don’t play darts, there’s pool, karaoke, food and a new customer favorite: the bathrooms. 

“Before I would never go in there,” said Patty Tripp, who discovered Bottoms Up several years ago and returned, she said, because “Troy had the coldest beer in town.”

“I think it’s a great place to stop after work, and the people and staff are awesome,” she added. “And I think everyone’s enjoying the bathrooms.”

Another regular likened the remodeled restrooms to the “Taj Mahal.” The former facilities were grandfathered in from the bar’s days as a gas station in the 1960s.

“A lot of people are checking it out,” Novak admitted.

Bottoms Up hasn’t always been a place to fill up, however. The building has also been a garage and a one-room schoolhouse. 

Workers found the school’s bell tower resting on a rafter near the roof during construction on the top floor. When Novak was consulted on what to do with it, he didn’t hesitate. 

“We’re leaving it. It looks cool.”

Then there’s the racecar suspended from the vaulted ceiling. 

“It started out as a joke with a buddy of mine. I said we should hang a race car in here, and he said, ‘We can do that,’ ’’ Novak said. 

While he loves the novelties, he especially appreciates the extra space behind the bar. There’s now enough room to stock and chill 35 varieties of bottled craft beer, in addition to their standard domestic products.

“It feels more friendly and open, and you actually have room to work. Before it was cramped, unorganized and messy,” said Novak, whose wife, Denyse, also helps out. 

While the garage door and gas pumps are gone, Bottoms Up has maintained some of its dive bar feel, he said, and he wants it that way.

“For some it’s a place to get away where nobody knows you. They come to hide out,” he mused.

They also come for chislic. It’s the best-selling item on the menu.

“People drive from miles around. I tell everyone it’s the best in Corson, hands down,” Novak said with a grin.  

But Bottoms Up’s biggest crowd comes out for darts. In addition to running the bar, which he inherited from his dad in 1997, Novak hosts the Pink Ladies, a competitive dart team and nonprofit group that raises and donates money to cancer patients and survivors. 

On Sundays the Pink Ladies present checks to cancer survivors. The weekly donations go to people of all ages and all stages of the disease, and if individuals aren’t able accept at Bottoms Up, the ladies go to them. 

“After 20 years in business, the one thing I’m most proud of is what they’ve done. Three years into this, they’ve given away over $120,000,” Novak said. 

His dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. 

“Troy has been great in getting us what we need for the people who need it, and that’s the cancer patients,” said Jen Luitjens, president of the local chapter of the Pink Ladies, which has more than 100 members.

Novak takes care of his customers, too. There’s a reason he doesn’t drink at work.  

“At the end of the night, whoever needs a ride home gets one from Troy,” Tripp said. 

Bottoms Up is just across the I-90 bridge from Brandon at 25991 482nd Ave., Corson. Hours are 2 p.m. to close Mondays through Thursdays and 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours are seasonal. Karaoke runs 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and dart leagues at 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Reach Bottoms Up at (605) 582-2938 or find it on Facebook.

 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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