Vern's Tavern owner hopes grandpa would be proud

Lifelong Elginite Jamie Berry wanted to open a bar where her Papa would like to hang out.

Papa was her grandfather Vern. And that bar is Vern's Tavern, opening Wednesday at 76 S. Grove Ave. in downtown Elgin.

"Growing up, he was the rock of our family," Berry said. She said the hardworking man always opened his doors to anyone who needed it and taught her morals she leans on to this day.

He also took her to her first bar. It was a neighborhood joint on the east side where friends and family would congregate.

"It was like a rite of passage for him to take his kids, friend's kids, and eventually us grandkids when we turned of age to the bar," she said. "It was really an exciting thing to go there with Papa."

"He taught us all the bar etiquette, always tip your bartender, always push in your chair, if someone buys a round, then you buy a round," she added.

The 32-year-old Berry has worked in the service industry since she was 17. She started in restaurant management at 19 and bartending at 21, learning from venerable Martini Room owner Ursula Borodzinska, whom she cites as a big influence on her career.

"Not only is she a woman in business, but she's been in business for a while in downtown Elgin which is hard to do," Berry said. "She's taught me a lot as a business woman."

Berry said opening her own downtown bar has been a longtime goal. A previous opportunity at Elgin Area Taproom "did not work out at all the way I hoped," and she feared she might miss her shot before friend and current landlord/limited partner Andrew Cuming called her.

"He said, 'I don't want you to give up on your dream, what do you need to make it happen?'," she said.

And while the vision for Vern's is Berry's, she gives a lot of credit to Cuming for his help.

"Jamie is amazing to work with because she is so positive and has such a passion for what she's doing," Cuming sad. "Anyone who goes there is going to fall in love with Vern's and make it their regular place to go."

They came to agreement on the space in late 2019 and planned to open in March or April 2020. Contractor issues came up when transforming the former law office into a bar and pushed back the timeline. Berry said those delays turned out to be fortuitous since the pandemic would have shut them down right after they opened.

The decor of the tavern, which seats about 80 in non-pandemic times, is dark and elegant, yet casual and comfortable. Berry described it as "old-style tavern meets speak-easy."

"We want you to come in after work in your jeans and a T-shirt, but also on your date night with your wife," she said.

In the same way Berry has been mentored along her journey, she wants to support small businesses and entrepreneurs. She contracted local mixologist David Olinger to help create her signature drink menu and train her staff.

The craft cocktails are named for "Vern-isms," Berry said. Drinks like "Midnight on the Prairie," "To the Moon" and "Curtain Jerkers" are named after things her grandfather used to say. The drinks utilize unique syrups and infusions of Olinger's making.

The bar will have local beers on tap and creative non-alcohol offerings. There will be a light food menu featuring some sandwiches, flatbreads and charcuterie. They also plan to partner with other local businesses and restaurants to feature some of their offerings.

She says she hopes her grandfather's spirit comes through. "I think he'd like it a lot."