By: Ben Strickland, Fall Marketing Intern
Hardwick’s Bar | Tod “T.R.” Knudson, Elias Hionedes and Tim Hoal
At night, it’s a high-spirited party bar. During the day, it’s a welcoming community gathering center. All day, every day, it’s an inclusive space working to encourage connections. Hardwick’s Bar is partly owned by Tod “T.R.” Knudson, Elias Hionides and Tim Hoal. Celebrating their second anniversary this month, the team works hard out of a historic building to build up the LGBTQ+ community’s presence in Downtown Jacksonville, something that Downtown has lacked for over 20 years.
“[Downtown] has always been a ‘Monday through Friday’ workplace, and we want to change that,” said Knudson. “We view downtowns as naturally diverse places, so we desire to build up Downtown in Jacksonville.” Most of Hardwick’s business comes from the nights and weekends. They offer craft cocktails and themed parties almost every night of the week, with extravagant themes ranging from Celebrity Nights to various drag show performances. Surrounded by the Jessie and the original Carnegie library, they command the attention on the street every night with the cheers of gays and allies alike. While other bars or nightclubs close shop when Monday rolls around and start to prepare for the next weekend, Hardwick’s keeps grinding away toin order to make their vision a reality: creating a safe space that allows anyone to express themselves naturally.
They open up their space to the community for other events and initiatives that are normally unable to function during other bars’ weekend hours. Hardwick’s offers several unique events during the week, including a run club on Wednesday nights and karaoke on Thursdays. They have also opened their space for organizations that are looking for an inclusive environment. All this effort culminates in making Downtown a more welcoming and fun place. “I wanted somewhere sophisticated and cool to go to and feel open where I can be with my partner and express ourselves naturally,” said Knudson.
Focusing on the downtown model set by other cities around the country as an area welcoming of people with different identity expressions, Knudson and Holt strive to improve Downtown’s the entertainment district of Downtown for everyone. “Downtown has always been a huge part of my understanding of Jacksonville,” said Knudson. “For all of my twenties, I went to places all along Bay Street, then coming out as a gay man, wanting to know where my space was outside of the Warehouse District.” For Small Business Saturday, Hardwicks will be partnering with Porch Fest as an official After Dark space. They will have a House of Cliché e party, celebrating one of their prominent drag performers and her mentees. Hardwicks has a passion towards improving Downtown’s inclusivity and entertainment. While they serve drinks and fun times, they offer way more past the bar and the music to those who are willing to walk through the doors and share in community. Hardwick’s hopes that people come for the good times and stay for the good people.