Entertain much? Then you need to know about HipStir Vintage Barware & Glassware, a newly formed company that sells refurbished antique barware and curates vintage-style bar carts and bars for clients.
BY: Giannina S. Bedford
Here, company founder and former Southern Living magazine staffer Wendy Shannon, who lives in Buckhead, tells us more about her new endeavor.
How did the idea for HipStir Vintage come about?
My husband, Tim, asked me to pull together a bar cart for his hip, new industrial office space in Nashville in 2017. His business entertains a lot, and my goal was to have all of the essentials for his staff or a skilled bartender to serve drinks. When I found a cool midcentury bar cart, I went with a style that required authentic midcentury pieces. I loved the whole aspect of finding and mixing old and new barware for a custom bar. It just made sense as a new business.
Where do you find your vintage barware?
I hand-select each and every piece from all sorts of sources, including online, estate sales, antiquing and thrift stores. I’ll even buy from friends who want their grandmother’s or their parents’ vintage barware to have a new home.
What do you consider essential elements of a HipStir bar?
They are, of course, all of the basic liquors, mixers and special accoutrements. But what makes it special is talking with the client about how they entertain and if they have special drinks they like to serve. Plus, there are the personal touches that make it a thematic bar, whether it’s modern, traditional, transitional or midcentury. The personal attention to those details and the history of each piece are always shared with my clients. All those vintage pieces have a story and it’s wonderful to pass them along. It makes for great stories when you’re using your HipStir Vintage bar with family and friends.
HipStir Vintage Barware & Glassware
hipstirvintage.com
