Jasper鈥檚 Tavern in downtown Newport features live entertainment, beer, pool and a pinball machine. Erica Heilman stopped in to find out how they鈥檙e faring during the pandemic.
Jasper鈥檚 Tavern is a longtime Newport local, but you have to know where it is, because it鈥檚 up a long alley off Main Street, and if you鈥檙e driving, it鈥檚 up a one-way street on a street behind a street. But pretty much any time of day, you鈥檒l find it full of regulars. Kristy Griggs has owned the place for over twenty-three years. We talked for a while at the bar, through masks.
Kristy: 鈥淚鈥檓 61-years-old. I been in the bar business since I was 18.鈥�
Me: 鈥淲hy?鈥�
Kristy: 鈥淏ecause I frickin鈥� love it. I just love it. I love people. I genuinely really love people.鈥�
Me: 鈥淲hat do you know about people that other people probably don鈥檛 know given that you鈥檙e a bar wench?鈥�
She laughs at that.
Kristy: 鈥淎nd I am proud of it. I鈥檓 a bar wench from way back 鈥� absolutely. I believe that a good gin mill serves a very important social function. It鈥檚 a social thing, you know? People are always going to drink. They always have since the beginning of people, I鈥檓 sure. There鈥檚 always going to be a segment of society that wants to be a little altered, you know? And our founding fathers, when they were starting our country, they weren鈥檛 in the church. They were down at the pub drinking, I would dare say, ale. It serves a very important social function.鈥�
Me: 鈥淗ow did COVID hit you here?鈥�
"There's always going to be a segment of society that wants to be a little altered, you know? And our founding fathers, when they were starting our country, they weren't in the church. They were down at the pub drinking, I would dare say, ale." - Kristy Griggs, owner of Jasper's Tavern
Kristy: 鈥淲ell, when we got , it was March 17. We had to be closed by two in the afternoon. And that was St. Patrick鈥檚 Day. So when we found out we had to close, we called a bunch of people. So we were busy. It was sad because we didn鈥檛 know when we鈥檇 all see each other again. We see each other every day, a lot of us. So we didn鈥檛 really know what was going to happen. So I was like, 鈥業t won鈥檛 be too long. Whatever it is, we鈥檒l get through it.鈥� But man, after a while, I was getting really lonesome for people. I would be driving in my car and every other human being I saw I had this overwhelming urge to wildly wave at 鈥榚m and stuff. And sometimes I would. They鈥檇 wave back, you know. Wave at a bird going by鈥︹��
Me: 鈥淎nd how did you鈥� How did it鈥� What鈥檚 the hit been?鈥�
Kristy: 鈥淚鈥檓 broke. Is that succinct enough? But you know what? I鈥檓 not scared of being broke. I鈥檓 not going to starve to death. I鈥檓 always going to have a roof over my head. There鈥檚 people that live in war torn countries, so I鈥檓 not going to bitch about it too much, 鈥榗ause I can get through it. And I will get through it. It鈥檒l take me a while to get back to where I was, but that鈥檚 alright. I鈥檓 not in this game to get rich anyway.
"You know? I grew up here 鈥� I grew up on a farm in Derby. And up here, I think generally most everybody is used to living pretty close to the bone, you know? And it鈥檚 like, we always scrape by. There鈥檚 not a lot of people up here getting rich. But this whole pandemic thing? We鈥檒l get through it. Eventually there鈥檒l be vaccines. We are so fortunate. We do not live in and we didn鈥檛 grow up in a war-torn country where terrible things like genocides and all that kind of stuff [are happening] 鈥� now that鈥檚 crappy living. This? I mean you go out and look at the chickadees and look at the sunset. I mean, it鈥檚 pretty nice. Don鈥檛 expect something big to make you happy."
