Bob Simpson characterizes a home bar as a “fun product”. It can provide a hub for entertaining while enhancing the look of a basement recreation room or main floor. The owner of The Pool Shoppe focuses on pools and spas in the summer and in the off-season, the display area is transformed into an indoor entertainment specialty shop.
There are two basic bar types available, albeit in an abundance of different styles and sizes. One is the bar that accommodates stools up front and a bartender behind. The other is the chest or cabinet bar that is used mainly for storage of liquor and wine, with some styles providing a surface for mixing drinks.
The basement recreation room is usually home to the “belly-up-to-the-bar” type, says Simpson. Although some chest bars can be fairly large, they are still more compact than sit-down bars and are ideal for dining or living spaces. They are popular with people who are downsizing and moving into a condo for example.
“The chests by Howard Miller are beautiful and they come in a variety of sizes,” explains Simpson, adding that the company also makes sit-down bars in various heights and some with marble tops.
Victoria Games Room offers eight styles with choices of two or three different stain colours. There is so much variety that most bar shoppers find something that works with their décor and their needs, according to Simpson. He says the next step would be to invest in a custom-built bar.
“You can’t build a bar for the price we’re selling them at here. The prices are fantastic,” Simpson suggests.
The Pool Shoppe also carries a huge selection of bar stools with wooden stools being the style of choice. A line of made-in-Canada stools offers up to 300 styles with height options as well. They are as popular for kitchen islands as they are for bars.
Simpsons advises that a visit to the showroom is the best way to sample the bars but a visit to the website at
www.thepoolshoppe.ca is a good place to start.
