BP Tavern & Offsale plans grand opening

BP Tavern & Offsale is now in business, and new owner Samantha Wohlferd is throwing a party.

The grand opening will be Oct. 5, with door prizes, a bean bag tournament, happy hour specials, meat raffles, and horse races.

Andy’s Food Factory will be selling pulled brisket sandwiches; entertainment will be provided by Soulfire, featuring Josi Christy, from 8 to 11 p.m.

Wohlferd, who has lived in Blooming Prairie for about a year, took over the former J&H Liquor on Sept. 17 from longtime owners Nancy and Harvey Farr.

“I thought it would be wonderful to buy,” Wohlferd said, “with the bar, the off-sale and the apartments. It was a great opportunity.”

The opportunity came as she was formulating a plan to become a business owner.

Daycare seemed to be her best option. Wohlferd and her partner Seth Klinger have two young sons: Brooks, 5, and Tate, almost 1.

“I thought, this is what I’m going to do with my life, I guess,” she said. “I’d like to own my own business, so I’m going to go with this.”

The next day, her mother Jodi Miller, sent her Nancy Farr’s phone number – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Wohlferd most recently tended bar at Uncle Mony’s in Hayfield; before that, she worked at a bar in Altura.

“I love bartending so much, it doesn’t even feel like I’m working,” she said. “You get to talk to people, converse, all that – it’s a fun time. Now I just have the bookwork behind it.”

Farr will stay on for a time to help with the transition; Miller and Klinger will also help out.

Not much will change in the immediate future, Wohlferd said, including prices. In fact, she’s soliciting advice from customers, to make them part of the process.

She sees herself as the next legacy owner, following the Farrs’ 38-year history.

“I would love that,” she said.

Wohlferd suggests following the BP Tavern & Offsale Facebook page for drink specials and upcoming events, as well as pull tab and lottery information.