The Stories Of The Bookcase & Barber: Durango’s Speakeasy
Upon entering The Bookcase & Barber, you’re greeted with a smile, the smell of rum, leather and hair products, and the faint sound of music coming from the other side of the wall. One of the walls of the bookstore-turned-barbershop is teeming with literature — books begging to take readers on journeys to old and new places. The greatest story, though, is the one you get to tell of your journey through the bookcase.
Owners Beau and Jenna Black established the barbershop in a space that had been a bookstore for over 30 years, originally called The Bookcase. To fill a need they saw in the community, they revamped the bookstore into an old-fashioned barber shop. Even more exciting is what lies beyond the bookcase.
If you convey the correct password upon your arrival, they will open the bookcase to reveal the cocktail bar. Beau Black says it never gets old watching people euphorically walk through the bookcase, being transported back to the prohibition era. The best part is that the customers, or Bookcasers, will always have an intriguing story to tell their friends and family.
The couple’s roots are deeply woven in Colorado. Their story started in a local restaurant, where chef Beau Black got creative in the kitchen and Jenna Black tended to guests and maintained the ambiance as the host. Seven years ago, they knew that Durango was the perfect home for their next big adventure: The Bookcase & Barber, Durango’s own speakeasy.
Jenna Black, an aesthetic nurse specialist during the day, is passionate about the guests’ experiences. She loves being a part of the community, listening to people’s stories and being a part of their new ones. “We’re so grateful people find us and take the time to search out our password,” she says. “Durango really helped create this space.”
The speakeasy is divided into two rooms that intentionally combine old-world and modern industrial design. With personal touches, such as side tables made from three-generation old repurposed wood from the Black family, the speakeasy feels unique and welcoming. “Everything that Beau picks for the menu has a story behind it that our bartenders can talk about; they come from families all over the world,” Jenna Black shares.
Beau Black says that he and the servers learn the stories and origins of the bottles on the shelf, and he believes it’s an investment worth making. “I can connect with people more by telling them a little story about this [bottle], and people appreciate that,” he adds. The bartenders will take time to understand your drink desires and recommend or curate a cocktail just for you.
To pay tribute to the history of the bookstore, many of the cocktails are named after famous authors. The owners researched the writers, found their favorites drinks and these cocktails form their core list. “It’s a good baseline of prohibition or pre-prohibition style cocktails,” Beau Black explains.
The other part of the menu is the stories section. This section is renewed every season, so you can find four new menus throughout the year. The stories section is full of cocktails created and named by the staff that carry a special meaning. They could be inspired by a book, a song or something going on in the world, for instance.
Come as you are — dressed to the nines in Gatsby style attire or in your shorts and sandals after a day spent at the river. The password can be found online, but acquiring it takes a bit of sleuthing. Don’t scroll too fast through their website, or you might miss the phrase in quotation marks. On their Facebook profile, make sure to investigate the cover image for the hidden phrase, or on Instagram, be sure to pay special attention to their bio.
The Bookcase and Barber is a place for story lovers and storytellers. As a Bookcaser, you will experience the passion that seeps into every inch of the space, every sip of the drinks — the ardor of the people who create a space intended for you to connect with someone special over a drinkable masterpiece.
Photos by Kristen Grace.
Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Spoke+Blossom.