By Allison Braden

Andy Schools of Humbug. Photo by Daniel White

Humbug, one of Plaza Midwood’s most intimate and interesting cocktail bars, was named for a short-lived humor magazine that satirized late-’50s pop culture. In the inaugural issue, editor Harvey Kurtzman declared, “We won’t write for morons.”

The name and ethos spoke to what co-owners Larry Suggs and Andrew Schools wanted to create. Humbug is “an irreverent take on the current cocktail culture,” Schools says. “We want people to come in here and be able to get a nice drink but not feel like they’re walking on eggshells, or they’re going to say something dumb and be made fun of.” They wanted to build an approachable neighborhood bar without the pretense, where guests can always drop in and chat with the owners — the same ones who invent the drinks, mix them, and deliver them to the table.

The warm, intimate ambiance works well in Plaza Midwood, where independent bars and restaurants are losing ground to national chains. Humbug’s co-owners plan to stick to their community-oriented values when they relocate the bar from inside Refuge on Central Avenue in 2023.

Here’s what a day in Schools’ life looks like.

10:30 a.m. “I don’t really have to set an alarm,” Schools says. He starts the day with pour-over coffee. “​​And then I’ll sit in a hot bath for like an hour and do all my emails.” It’s a ritual, he says, “that puts me in the mood to deal with people.”

11:30 a.m. For more important emails, he trades his phone for his computer. He places liquor orders, makes a shopping list for the day, then does household chores like dishes and laundry. A major behind-the-scenes project at Humbug has been the hunt for a permanent location. For the last four months, the cocktail bar has operated out of the lobby of Refuge, a five-room micro-hotel on Central Avenue, but the space was always going to be temporary. Wintergreen Hospitality, the owner of Refuge, will ultimately build a boutique hotel on the site.

Schools and Suggs enlisted a commercial realtor who put together a packet of potential properties with information about the nearby population, median income, and much more. Schools was primarily interested in a good location “and plenty of parking.” After tours, they narrowed the choices to one and negotiated the lease. “That takes a couple, like two to three, weeks just to negotiate the terms,” Schools says. A couple of the biggest factors are tenant improvement money — how much the landlord will pay toward building out the space — and the duration of the lease. “Then the lease comes from them and then your lawyer has to get it, and it’s a bit of a process. It’s not like you’re getting a townhouse or renting a property. It’s like a whole other animal to get a commercial lease.”

When I speak to Schools in late November, the bar owners are just shy of finalizing the lease. “We’re real, real close,” Schools says. He won’t divulge where the new location will be, but they’ve already hired an architect and construction will start in the new year. Schools hopes that the bar will be open by late spring 2023.

12:30 p.m. He leaves his Plaza Midwood townhouse and typically makes a produce run on the way to the bar. He may swing by the US Foods Chef’s Store for bulk bags of sugar or Harris Teeter “if I’m feeling lazy.” He typically subsists on coffee until early afternoon. “Usually I’ll just pick something up on the way in or go get something real quick and eat here at the bar.” (He likes Calle Sol for lunch.)

1 p.m. When Schools arrives at Humbug, he makes syrups and juices citrus. “I do everything from scratch,” he says. He co-owns the bar with Larry Suggs, and the pair have an easy working relationship. “It’s a pretty small bar, so there’s not a whole lot we have to deal with as far as stress goes,” Schools says. “We’re just hanging out with our friends and making drinks we like.”

Schools and Suggs each create half of the drinks on the menu, which changes with the seasons — or when they get bored. Both do prep and take responsibility for their share of the menu. “We come in when we want and do our thing,” Schools says. “We don’t really have like a set schedule.”

4 p.m. “Once the bar opens,” Schools says, “it’s just — wait until people come in.” When they do, he makes drinks and conversation. Schools and Suggs have achieved an intimate, neighborhood feel at Humbug despite limited flexibility to alter the space. Schools is excited to make the new spot their own: “I think it’ll be more true to what Humbug should be.”

His vision includes lower lighting, more wood elements, and a darker-stain floor for a moodier vibe than they have now. They’ll have a longer bar, too, with 15 or 16 seats, and plenty of room for both bartenders to work at the same time.

That’s not a luxury they have now. “Originally, it was, ‘Let’s both be back here and just take turns with orders.’ But we learned really quickly we needed some better systems just to make it more manageable for everybody.” Now, Schools says, “we rotate who’s making drinks. One person will be on the floor, helping guests.”

But after the big move, much will stay the same, too. The values that drive Schools and Suggs are that the bar be owner-operated and approachable. “A big thing I like about bars is when your owner is actually there,” Schools says. “You have that connection. That’s what makes it special, and that’s what we want to hold onto, even when we grow. One of us will always be in the bar when we’re open.”

12 a.m. Schools’ after-work routine depends on his mood: “Sometimes, I’ve exhausted my people meter for the day, so I just go home, make a late dinner, and watch a movie or TV.” Other nights, he stops by Morningside Pub to play pool and have a couple of beers. If he goes out, he picks quiet spots that he knows won’t be busy. He calls himself an ambivert — outgoing when he needs to be, but protective of private time, too.

2 a.m. Schools goes to bed late. The night before I speak with him, he celebrated his birthday at Fin & Fino, Humbug, and Idlewild. The same week, Humbug has a birthday of sorts as it closes in on four months in business. It’s been a season of learning the neighborhood and establishing the bar’s brand. “So when we do move, people already know who we are. That’s the big benefit — not starting a business that can go into a lot of debt without knowing how it’s going to go,” Schools says. He’s encouraged by their experience so far: Now, “I think we have a pretty good idea of how it’s going to go.”

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Kindred’s Katy Kindred
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