Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

Today is the grand opening of Britches' Dance Bar at 192 State St., the culmination of three years of renovating the storied bar space into a colorful vision realized by Clarke and a long list of contractors.

Many of the names that graced the bar's corner entrance in years past — Whiskey Boots, the Rockin' Robin, Copper John's — were painted like passport stamps into a collage on a wall. Clarke installed it to pay tribute to those businesses, she told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. Almost every trace of them was removed as she stripped the bar to its studs, revealing a brick firewall and chimney she had never seen before. 

The collage, like many visuals inside Britches', was influenced by content Clarke saw on TikTok and Instagram. In turn, she said, those visuals should make frequent backdrops for selfies and stories.

"I wanted it to be social-media worthy," she said. "When you take a picture in front of it, people know where you are."

The brick revealed during the renovation was a surprise even to Clarke, who has wanted to open a bar since she was 18. She's been interested in doing so at the 192 State St. building for years, she said, and during that time learned it has a rarely seen second floor. The floor, once used as apartments, is now the site of a VIP area that can be booked for private functions, as well as a kissing booth.

Before purchasing the building, Clarke worked as a crane operator at Nucor Steel for a decade. She also posts makeup tutorials on YouTube, where she greets viewers with the word that would become the name of her bar. Coined by her mother, it combines Clarke's nickname, Brit, with her affectionately profane term for her closest friends. The word's cursive logo, designed by A&M Graphics in Auburn, is the core of the bar's décor, Clarke said, including a large "Britches'" sign over the dance floor made of mirror shards with help from Jesse Kline of the Auburn Downtown Business Improvement District.

Amid the bar's glitter and neon, however, are blank white walls. That way, Clarke said, they capture the tints and strobes of the bar's lighting system, an effect she compared to that of a chameleon. Britches' is similar to a club, she continued, but the atmosphere is "very approachable" to people who don't like clubs. For all the lights, they'll still be able to tell what's happening around them.

"I wanted something totally different for Auburn," Clarke said. "Auburn's never seen anything quite like this."

Clarke realized how much she wanted to provide that welcoming atmosphere while at her previous job. She's a people person, she said, which is also why people at Britches' should expect to see her there, working to entertain them. She spent three years getting to that point, through COVID-19 and its many delays, and she'll make sure she stays there with a wide array of events she has planned. They include live music, beginning with Between Covers at 8 tonight and Chasing Neon July 9, as well as drag shows, karaoke Thursdays with DJ Bryan Throw, and themed events like adult proms.

The beverage menu consists of a broad selection of domestic, craft and foreign beers, alcoholic seltzers, wines and mixed drinks that will be introduced regularly. On draft is a signature beer made by Homer Hops Brewing, called Britches' Brew, which Clarke said tastes like a cross between a traditional light lager and a fruity India pale ale. That and other drafts are filled using a bottoms-up system.

To protect their beverages, people at Britches' will be able to use something else Clarke saw on social media: the Nightcap, a cover for cups that doubles as a scrunchie and contains a straw hole. It's part of a broader effort by Clarke and her staff of 13 to ensure people at her bar feel safe, she said. Entry will require showing identification, having bags checked and scanning with a metal detector wand. 

"I want this to be a place for everybody," she said. "We're all here to have a good time. This is a place I want people to feel safe, like they can be themselves and like they can have a good time."