Many folks have forgotten that pub means "public house." Not Joe Griffin.

For the past year and a half, Joe has been building a beautiful “public house” in South Pasadena. Joe’s pub has more to it than being the local watering hole. Instead, it aspires to be a gathering place rich with substance and the hum of busy conversation, a breeding ground for talent, a hub for people to come in contact with each other. It promises to be a launching pad for local musicians and artists, a sounding board for writers. The menu of traditional fare will help sustain the local farms and ranches where our ingredients come from. In short, Joe’s pub is dedicated to the public it wants to serve.

What's it like in there?

Every little bit of Joe’s pub has a purpose and a meaning. Joe found the bar in Bedford, Indiana, a limestone mining town. Its dark mahogany wood came marked with cigarette burns, worn down by more than a hundred years of miners' boots. The banquette pews date back to a 19th century church in Norwich, Canada. The chandeliers once hung in the legendary Ritz Carlton, only a few miles from their new home. What isn’t old, with a story of its own, has been built by Joe’s own hands. Every fixture in Joe’s pub has been a part of public life, whether it was a church or celebrity hotel, and now hopes to start a new chapter of public use.

Why now?

The pub is close to opening its doors, and Joe is racing to put all the finishing touches in place. As the pub has gotten closer to opening, Joe's been flooded with offers of support from friends and locals. To give everyone a chance to bring the pub to life as quickly as possible, he decided to create this Kickstarter campaign. This campaign is short (21 days), so that the pub's launch will coincide with the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival, with the Young Dubliners performing on the pub's stage!

What will Kickstarter pay for?

Kickstarter will fund the final costs that make launching so expensive:

• installation of our sound system (for live performances)
• installation of our gorgeous antique chandeliers from the Ritz Carlton
• the final touches on the crown molding
• bar equipment and registersbarware, dinnerware and utensils

Our $15,000 goal represents about half of the amount we still need to spend to get the doors open. Any money we raise above our costs will help make the pub even more beautiful and help us open that much sooner.

How can I help?

What we want most from you is your support, financial or otherwise. Since this pub has a mission to become a true public house, it’s only right that its great success begins through the actions of those it will serve. Please help us any way you can, whether it is through financial contributions or through your Facebook or Twitter account. While we have some fine gifts to reward your support, we know it’s only a step toward expressing our deep gratitude.