#Noticing Neighbors Worthy Pop Up Bar

The Worthy Pop Up Bar is coming to Kansas City, and it’s looking to fill you with a little self love. This Pop Up supports Newhouse, Kansas City’s first domestic violence shelter. The door’s open on March 3rd-4th in support of the idea that all people are worthy of love and healthy relationships. The space will include a two-story bar, specialty drinks, and a supportive environment for everyone to be reminded of their worth. The pop up is hosted by Newhouse, which provides a place for those who have survived abuse to heal and transform their lives. They provide safe housing, community, meals, childhood support as well as therapies. Rachel Hodgson sat down with me to share all about the Worthy event.

Hayley: I'm so excited to talk to you because we had readers asking us about the pop up last year. I know you have the next one in March, and would love to catch up!

So first off, how did it go last year? Like, what did you see?

Rachel: Yeah! Last year was our first year of the Worthy Pop Up Bar, so we weren't sure what to expect. We knew it was a cool idea for a great cause, and we had to wait and see how Kansas City would react to it. Hayley: How was it? Rachel: They blew us away. We raised more than $30,000 and had more than 300 people show up, in both evenings. The room was full of laughter, smiles, hugs, and people celebrating themselves. So we had this Worthy Wall where it said, “I am worthy of…” and people got to be interactive and think of things that they are worthy of and put it up on that wall. It was fun seeing that fill in.

There were photos and selfies galore at all the photo moments! Hayley:

Sure! Rachel: A lot of people wrote notes of worthiness to our survivors. We had a station where you could write something that would be supportive to a Survivor who was staying at Newhouse, and we had dozens of those written. So those were the notes that we have used throughout the year to share with our survivors and families. Hayley:

Wow, that’s incredible. When you think about who those words are going to. Rachel: People blew us away and had a lot of fun with it. So we knew we absolutely had to bring it back for a second round this year!

Hayley:

I have been hearing the buzz about it, but can you share when and where it is this year? How can people get involved?

Rachel:

Absolutely. So this year is the second annual Worthy Pop Up Bar benefiting Newhouse and the survivors who we support. It’s March 3rd and 4th, it's at The Maverick in the Crossroads district, so we switched venues from last year! We are very excited for people to come into this space. It's a brand new venue for Kansas City, and it is a two level space. The top floor will be the main area with the bar, and then downstairs will have a second bar. So lots of opportunities for people to walk around, meet each other, and celebrate themselves. Anyone who wants to join us can go to our website to see our sponsors, see tickets, and see who our guest bartenders are. Hayley: The guest bartender aspect is something I absolutely love! Rachel: Last year when we had guest bartenders, this was the first event that we have seen where volunteers, who are Kansas City leaders, have been invited to be behind the bar and pour these craft cocktails. People loved it! We had a bunch of people raising their hands wanting to be bartenders this year. Hayley: How many people? Rachel: So this year we're going to have about 46 guest bartenders.

It’s more than last year because we have two bars, and our guest bartenders have paired up for fundraising. Because of this, we are probably going to double the donations from last year!

Hayley: Wow.

Rachel:

They really drum up excitement. And when serving, who knows what little tricks someone might see? But it’ll be all about having a great time serving up drinks and positive affirmations.

Hayley:

That's a good line. I like that. Just to complete the idea of these guest bartenders—these are people in the community. I mean, Kansas City metro area is big, but this almost makes the whole city feel like a neighborhood, do you know what I mean? Everybody is working together towards a cause.

Rachel:

Absolutely. We have people from all different walks of life who are acting as these bartenders. They'll each be behind the bar for 2 hours and some of them have never poured a drink for someone in their life. Then some of them, I think, will have bartending skills that pop out and they'll have fun with it. But it's exciting to see the awareness building around this event only in its second year. We know the guest bartenders have been a big part of that, by sharing with their networks. Hayley: The cause is so important, too.

Rachel: More people are hearing about Newhouse for the first time and hearing about domestic violence because we want that to be less taboo. It’s a topic we should all talk about because of how common it is.

We love seeing how many people haven't heard of Newhouse, and this is the event to bring it to their attention. It's a fun event for a serious cause.

Hayley:

Great point. I'm curious, it was a year ago, but is there anything about the event that really surprised you?

Rachel:

That's a great question. We were up to the week of pushing tickets as much as we could, having no idea how many people would show. And up until the days people were purchasing tickets, so we didn't know what the turnout would look like, and we were just blown away. Another thing that has been interesting is just hearing the kinds of drinks that people were interested in. Last year we had four crafted cocktails, this year we're going to have six of them. We'll have this espresso martini, we're going to have a mint julep, just all these different drinks.

This year, we have switched it up a lot. So I think it'll be fun to see which ones people love most! Last year we also had a mocktail, but it was more of a pre-made one. We had so many people interested in our mocktails that we had to go purchase more for the second night! So this year we've planned for that more and we're going to have a batched mixed mocktail ready.

We’re even having food trucks! So that aspect is for everyone, too. I think we are all really excited to build upon last year by making this inclusive for our non drinking friends.

Hayley:

That's so nice. You're really thinking about it from every perspective of the people that are coming.

Rachel:

That's really what we're trying.

Hayley:

It sounds like if you went last year, it's not just the same thing. It sounds like things have been revamped. You're switching the menu, there are now food trucks, and there are things that you don't know about.

Rachel:

Absolutely. So same idea, same theme, same opportunity to have guest bartenders serving you drinks—but different venue, different menu of drink options, and more bartenders.

Hayley:

Plus two floors!

Rachel:

Yes! Two floors, two food trucks.

Hayley:

Awesome.

Rachel:

Last year we had some snacks available for our VIP guests, and so that was something that for year two we were like, “You know what? We want to make sure everyone has access to food, not just snacks.” So having two food trucks is also a really nice change. So, yes, absolutely. If someone came last year, it's different this year.

Hayley:

That's the great thing. Thinking back to last year, were there any specific moments that you remember? For instance, if a year ago you saw someone come into the room and I could tell by their body language they felt less relaxed and then they left feeling different. Did you notice anything specific that really stayed with you?

Rachel:

That's a great question. One thing that really stood out to me is when people walked in the front door, we surprised them with a glass of champagne. So we had this champagne wall, and we had not marketed that at all. We didn't let people know that was happening. But when people walked in the door, we had a volunteer ask each person: “What's something you're worthy of?” It helped start the theme right then and there, and get them in that right mindset. Plus handing them a glass of champagne and just watching their faces light up was worth having that little surprise. From the moment someone walked in the door, they knew that it was going to be a memorable event.

Hayley:

Between that and the Worthy Wall, this is a very intentional event. Rachel: Yes, seeing how many people engaged with that was fun. There were some great specific ones that made me laugh, it could just be I'm worthy of a nap or I'm worthy of a massage, and I'm worthy of true love. Some people just got really funny with it, like I'm worthy of another drink. I loved seeing all those posts and didn't know how much people would interact with it, but some people had some really funny ones. There were lots of wonderful moments. One thing that we are doing differently this year, so a moment that I won't need back is we were learning how to bartender as we were going. Thankfully this year we won't have to worry about that so much, so I'm not going to miss some of the chaos behind the scenes in the kitchen.

Hayley:

The things that you don't know when you're just attending.

Rachel:

Right? Behind the scenes, we also had some of our staff that were hand washing every glass. So hand washing, soap, water, rinse, dry, in the back—and it was hundreds and hundreds over and over again. So this year we have a dishwasher! I don’t know that this is necessarily interesting to hear about, but it was a lot of work to take off our plate. I swear it's those little things that make a big difference. So there are a lot of ways that we've stepped up our game this year.

Hayley:

I don't know, I actually think that's really nice. You're on the spot, you have to figure it out, you have to make it work. And it just sounds like everybody was really dedicated.

Rachel:

Yeah, absolutely.

Hayley:

While being in this position and working on this event, how have you seen goodness in your team at Newhouse?

Rachel:

It's amazing how we came together last year, and the amount of hours we were working up to the last day. This year we have come together and thought through so many more angles of it, just to make sure it's the best experience possible so I can't get enough of the team coming together for this. We all are excited about it because we've seen the magic of last year. So it's been really wonderful to have the meetings, to think through new ideas, and to create a new experience.

One thing I'll say too, that you just made me think for this year, is how we have really stepped up our game with marketing. We have this video that maybe you've seen, some professional photography, which was a lot of work and support coming from Torch House Studio.

Hayley:

That is amazing.

Rachel:

Last year we did not have the capabilities to really show off what the event was about, and this year they came forward as a sponsor and created these incredible videos. I will have to share it with you, but it really gives a feel for what the night is like. Creating that video during our own bartender happy hour was a chance for all of our bartenders to come together, meet each other, and have a practice round so they're comfortable with it. And we captured that in this incredible video. And Torch House Studio, which is fueled by Ron Berg, he was taking these beautiful portraits of not just one person, but two. And so we had this fun interaction with these bartender pairs. So he was able to capture some really fun ones and then we could use those pairs in the graphics. We've seen our bartenders more excited and sharing more often this year because they are gorgeous, very professional photos. It has been wonderful to elevate the marketing for the event with the video and these bartender photos. So we are just incredibly grateful to Torch House Studio advertising for doing that.

Hayley:

Wow. I love seeing this!

Rachel:

I just had to show them to you.

Hayley:

Please do. I mean, it also affirms the idea that if you have a talent or skill, there are so many different ways to contribute to causes. Photos are so needed and that's so valuable.

Rachel: If you go to our website, you’ll also be able to see that the bartender teams are raising tips for Newhouse, and it’s turned into a bit of a competition! Hayley: Incredible. They're using their influence and excitement to help with donations, through tips. How fun is that?

Rachel:

Yes, that was one thing we saw happen organically last year. So this year we're like, all right, let's step it up. Make it about tips!

Hayley:

I’m sure you’ve had more sponsors this year, too.

Rachel:

There have been so many people coming forward, and they are also on the website. So like The Maverick where we are hosting the event. A.L. Huber, Torch House. Then we have six ‘Top Shelf Sponsors,’ we have four ‘On the Rocks,’ we have ‘Spirits,’ we have the ‘Happy Hour’ tier. Last year we really did have a handful, like five or six sponsors, and this year it's just blown it out of the water. People are seeing the excitement behind this event and wanting to be a part of it, and our bartenders have been a big part of that.

Hayley:

I have one last question. You talked about that first moment, right when someone walks in the door. What is your hope for that person on the night when they're coming?

Rachel:

When someone walks in, I hope that they realize immediately that this is about them.

This is about their worth. It's a moment to put the spotlight on themselves, and at the same time, they will get to see and realize the strength of the survivors, who we are supporting. We want everyone to feel worthy. Everyone is worthy of healthy relationships, including the one with yourself, and our survivors are worthy.

People don't realize what domestic violence can be and what it can do. Sometimes there's judgment there, and we do not subscribe to judgment. We know every person who's with us, whether they are staying with us as a temporary resident or they're coming to us through some of our outreach services, everyone is worthy.

We really want that to come across: We are all here to celebrate that every human is worthy. When someone walks in the door, I really want for them to feel like themselves, and to feel good. To have a great night, see some surprises, learn some new things about Newhouse, and really think about how every single person in Kansas City is worthy.