DC鈥檚 permanent pop-up bar stays fresh with flowers, 10-foot monsters

WASHINGTON 鈥� In December 2015, business partners Angie Fetherston and Derek Brown put ham on hold at their 7th Street sherry bar, and instead filled the 1,110-square-foot space with snowflake cutouts, carolers and Christmas cocktails.

Embracing the holiday spirit with holiday spirits paid off. The aptly named 鈥淢iracle on 7th Street鈥� pop-up bar was a wild success. Throughout its monthlong residency, lines stretched down the block and the wait to get in lasted hours on many nights. 聽聽

鈥淪o many people came to the door and we had a lot of fun doing it,鈥� said Brown, now the president of , whose was named the best American cocktail bar in 2017.

When the 2016 holiday season rolled around, it made sense to swap sherry for eggnog, once again. This time Brown鈥檚 neighboring bars, Eat the Rich and Southern Efficiency, joined in, and the team took its Christmas crafting to a new level. There were icicles, narwhals, even an ode to 鈥淪tranger Things.鈥� 聽

The 2018 cherry blossom pop-up bar has an estimated 90,000 plastic cherry blossoms. (Farrah Skeiky)

There’s also a 10-foot-tall Godzilla, built by local artist Andrew Herndon. (Farrah Skeiky)

An ode to Tokyo’s Memory Lane inside the 2018 cherry blossom pop-up bar at Drink Company’s PUB. (Farrah Skeiky)

鈥淚t has to be about an environment. We鈥檙e creating a space that people are going to walk into,鈥� said Derek Brown, president of Drink Company. (Farrah Skeiky)

The Cherry Blossom Pop-Up Bar (or Cherry Blossom PUB) encompasses two themes. At Southern Efficiency, pink and white blossom branches creep up the side wall and hang from the ceiling. A mural of the Jefferson Memorial draped in cherry blossoms covers the back wall. (海角精品黑料/Rachel Nania) — The 2017 cherry blossom pop-up bar was the second concept from PUB. (海角精品黑料/Rachel Nania)

鈥淵ou鈥檙e in what we affectionately refer to as 鈥楳ario Bar,鈥欌€� Brown said about the temporarily redecorated Mockingbird Hill. 鈥淸On this side of the bar] we wanted to do something that was an homage to Japan and one of its most famous exports: Mario Brothers.鈥� (Photo by Farrah Skeiky) — The 2017 cherry blossom pop-up had a room dedicated to Mario Brothers.聽鈥淸On this side of the bar] we wanted to do something that was an homage to Japan and one of its most famous exports: Mario Brothers,鈥� Brown said. (Farrah Skeiky)

In the summer of 2017, PUB hosted a “Game of Thrones” pop-up. (Farrah Skeiky)

In December 2015, business partners聽Angie Fetherston and Derek Brown put ham on hold at their 7th Street sherry bar, and instead filled the聽1,110-square-foot聽space with snowflake cutouts, carolers and Christmas cocktails. (Joy Asico)

A photo from the inaugural Miracle on 7th Street pop-up bar in 2015. (海角精品黑料/Rachel Nania)

A photo from the inaugural Miracle on 7th Street pop-up bar in 2015. (Joy Asico)

Inside one of the rooms of the 2018 cherry blossom-themed pop-up at PUB in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood.聽 (Farrah Skeiky)

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A few months later, Brown and his team announced plans for a spring pop-up bar, honoring D.C.鈥檚 iconic cherry blossoms. A “Game of Thrones” theme launched over the summer, followed by a Halloween bar in the fall 鈥� all of which led back to Miracle on 7th Street in December.

Now, Brown鈥檚 three former restaurants are no longer open. The adjoining spaces exist under one name: PUB (pop-up bar), a concept dedicated to creating temporary, thematic bars.

鈥淲e see the response from people and they really love it. That鈥檚 why we open bars in the first place, is so people can come in and enjoy it,鈥� Brown said about his idea to make the pop-up permanent.

鈥淭o watch the outpouring of interest and genuine affection for the place is what makes us really want to do it.鈥�

The pop-ups only last a few weeks, but each takes months to plan. In fact, Drink Company has two full-time employees dedicated to designing each concept.

鈥淚t has to be about an environment. We鈥檙e creating a space that people are going to walk into,鈥� he said.

In the last three years, the pop-up鈥檚 d茅cor has evolved from paper cutouts to animatronics. This year鈥檚 cherry blossom pop-up, which opened March 1, features a 10-foot-tall Godzilla that roars and blows smoke. There鈥檚 also 90,000 plastic cherry blossoms, 1,000 paper butterflies, a Japanese tea house and Tokyo’s Memory Lane.

鈥淔rom the beginning we鈥檝e put a lot of effort into [the pop-up bars], but it just keeps ramping up, and I don鈥檛 think we know the word 鈥榟alfway,鈥欌€� Brown said.

To support the growing visions, Drink Company has an off-site studio dedicated to d茅cor, plus a storage unit to keep items from years past. Brown said the company even hires contractors and artists to help with the instillation.

鈥淎nd we have to take all this down, as well. People don鈥檛 think about that,鈥� he added.

Creating the Instagram-worthy scenes doesn鈥檛 come cheap. Brown estimates that each pop-up costs between $20,000 and $30,000 to execute 鈥� and that鈥檚 just in decorations and supplies.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not getting wildly rich off this, but it is something we鈥檙e able to make money on and we鈥檙e grateful for that,鈥� Brown said.

Now in its seventh iteration, the 7th Street pop-up bar hasn鈥檛 lost its luster. Even in a city where new restaurants, bars and food trends are a dime a dozen, lines still form outside PUB during peak times.

鈥淭hose lines are an indication that people really want to get in here and see this. And to watch them walk through the door and that sense of wonder and wow that they have is really cool,鈥� Brown said.

He credits his staff for keeping the concept fresh.

鈥淚鈥檝e heard people talk about, 鈥極h, we see it鈥檚 successful, we see the line, we鈥檙e going to do a pop-up.鈥� But it鈥檚 really, really hard work and you have to have people who are very creative and thoughtful. And that鈥檚 why I think our pop-ups have been successful from the beginning, is because we have these creative, smart people who can figure things out like how to make a giant monster.鈥�