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Two area residents start a unique mobile bar/barista service
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: September 5, 2017
When sisters-in-law Kristy Grim and Andrea Hurr first started talking about opening their own business around two years ago, they were searching for a unique idea that required minimal startup costs.
While doing research on the Internet, they came across mobile bars.
“Some were created out of horse trailers, some were more typical ‘fair trailers,’ but all had some sort of look to them,” said Grim. “We really fell in love with the idea of repurposing a horse trailer.
“In Europe you can get a traveling liquor license and sell alcohol out of the trailer, but you can’t do that in Ohio,” said Grim. “But we found out that there are businesses in Ohio that use trailers to provide mobile bartending services at events.”
In their case, they bought a 1999 Henry Horse Trailer from a farm that also housed horse stables in October 2016. They named it Betsy, refurbishing it and creating a rustic look.
They secured the necessary permits, formed a limited liability company and began advertising.
Grim and Hurr named their business Two2Sisters Sidecar, holding their official launch party at the end of April 2017.
“It’s a small trailer, big enough for two people,” said Grim. “It has a stainless steel sink and enough room to store ice, alcohol and other supplies.”
In recent months, the two have used their trailer to provide beverage services at weddings, graduations, block parties and other events.
“The way our service works is that we meet with the client in advance and help them to determine their beverage needs,” said Hurr. “We will order the alcohol and/or non-alcoholic beverages for them, but they have to pay for it.
“We’ll pick up the alcohol or beverages and show up at the event with cups, stirrers, garnishes, napkins, ice and everything they need. We are also the bartenders and we serve everything out of the trailer. We write the bar menu and even help the clients create themed drinks for their events.”
“A lot of people enjoy the rustic look of our trailer so it’s a great talking point for guests and it provides great photo ops as well,” said Grim.
It’s not the first time the sisters-in-law have dabbled in the areas of hospitality and customer service.
A resident of Green, Hurr received a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from The University of Toledo.
During college she worked for the Inverness Club, a private golf club in Toledo. After getting her degree, she held jobs at several other golf clubs, including the Barrington Golf Club in Aurora, where she served as director of service.
She’s currently a server and fill-in manager at Pancho’s Southwestern Grille.
“I started working there after I had my son and daughter,” Hurr said. “It works well because my husband is around at night to take care of the kids.”
Born in Barberton, Grim grew up in Green and now lives in Massillon with her husband. They have four adult daughters.
She obtained her bachelor’s degree in secondary education from The University of Akron. But after teaching briefly, Grim said she decided to switch directions and focus on customer service and sales.
She’s currently an account manager for the industrial supply company W.W. Grainger, Inc.
“I like relationship-building and assisting people,” said Grim. “It’s very rewarding. At W.W. Grainger I work with a lot of vendors, connecting them with training services and safety equipment.
“At Two2Sisters, I help people make their events memorable.”
In May, Green resident Rachel Neff hired Two2Sisters Sidecar to handle the beverage services at her fundraiser, which benefited the CURED (Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease) Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those suffering from Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease (EGID), characterized by chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and other Eosinophilic disorders.
“My four-year-old son Emmett has Eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus,” said Neff. “The fundraiser was an open house and I had close to 150 people show up throughout the day. I had heard about Two2Sisters from a friend and I was looking for something to add character to the event.
“Kristy and Andrea went above and beyond. They created a signature drink called Emmettade and put out information about his disease. They also put out a tip jar and donated everything they got to the cause, which I thought was cool.
“We raised $6,000 in total,” said Neff. “Everything was perfect.”
Two2Sisters Sidecar does offer several different options for their clients based on the number of guests, the types of beverages to be served and the length of service requested. Most are listed on the website (http://www.twosisterssidecar.com/home.html).
“We are learning that everyone has a unique idea for their event so we do most of our quoting on an event-by-event basis,” said Grim.
Two2Sisters Sidecar will also provide coffee, iced tea, lemonade and bottled water.
“We don’t do any food,” said Grim. “We brew our own coffee and we can serve pre-made food, but we can’t prepare any.”
“You can also hire us to be bartenders without the catering service for about $75 an hour,” said Grim.
Since weddings and graduation parties are often planned in advance, their business started off slowly.
But Hurr said things are picking up.
“We have quite a few weddings booked for the next wedding season,” said Hurr. “Our goal is to have this be our full-time job by 2019.”
While their services are not necessarily cheaper than more traditional bartending options, Hurr said Two2Sisters Sidecar does have relationships with vendors and can often negotiate good deals on the cost of the beverages.
“We also have formulas for determining how much alcohol is needed so you don’t end up with a lot leftover,” said Hurr. “If you do have leftover alcohol, some of our vendors will take it back.”