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Inner Circle Vodka Bar plans to open its doors Thursday in downtown Springfield.
Photo courtesy Inner Circle Vodka Bar
Inner Circle Vodka Bar plans to open its doors Thursday in downtown Springfield.

Downtown vodka bar set to launch

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Last edited 11:42 a.m., March 17, 2020: Andy Cagle, co-owner of Inner Circle Vodka Bar, said the venue’s planned March 19 opening has been postponed for two weeks due to the coronavirus. The bar is now set to open in early April, but is subject to change if the situation warrants, he added.

Drinks are about to be served at a new concept in downtown Springfield, with the scheduled opening Thursday of Inner Circle Vodka Bar.

The bar at 319 W. Walnut St. will be the second for co-owners Andy Cagle and Jacob Harper. The duo first launched the vodka bar concept in Tulsa, Oklahoma, five years ago.

The owners purchased the Walnut Street property, which combines roughly 5,500 square feet of indoor space with another 3,200 square feet on an outdoor patio at the corner of Walnut Street and Campbell Avenue. Shawn Gott, who previously operated 319 Downtown Event Center in the space, was the seller and had listed the building at $850,000, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Cagle declined to disclose the purchase price or startup costs for the venture.

While a Thursday opening is still in the works, Cagle said he and Harper are closely watching the continuing developments of the coronavirus and how it could impact their business. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for the next eight weeks that organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that comprise 50 people or more. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson recommended officials follow the CDC guidance, which also is supported by the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, the county and the city.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” Cagle said of the number of people the bar will initially admit upon opening. “We’re going to be limiting our capacity. We’re still trying to work on the details. It’s going to be a day-to-day thing.”

He added postponing the opening is still a possibility.

Cagle said the bar includes a full menu of vodka drinks, house-infused cocktails, beer and wine, with prices generally in the $6-$7 range. Shareable-style food items, such as toasted ravioli, cashew chicken bowls and various wraps, also will be served in the price range of $4-$9.

A crowdfunding campaign was started last November for a preopening party, but Cagle said money raised fell short of its $15,000 goal. The Kickstarter campaign raised $6,701 by its Dec. 11 deadline. He said tickets were sold via Eventbrite for the party, held in late February at the bar.

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