By Anelia K. Dimitrova
Brian Hoyer, a Cedar Falls entrepreneur, likes to keep innovating in his lane.
Usually.
When he started his first business, as a UNI student around 2010, he focused on the environmental space, launching a company called Recycle Rite. Since then, Brian has grown the company incrementally, adding more commercial and residential customers across Iowa. Eventually, he also expanded the services he offered to include the recycling of used oils, among other products.
But on balance, he stuck to his cardinal business rule–not veering off the lane he had mapped for himself.
And yet, when a commercial space opened on College Hill last year, and especially in the location of a longtime business, at 2217 College Street, Brian broke his self-imposed business principle and dived into a new venture “head first.”
What has emerged, after months of hard work and a lot of investment in a massive renovation, is the Hill Street Dive, a bar that prides itself on its community feel and atmosphere.
Transforming the space
Brian, his wife Sarah, and his brother, Colin, wanted to keep a connection to the tradition of the bar’s predecessor, Hill Street News & Tobacco, which opened in 1967. Colin worked there as a college student from 2002 to 2004, and so he always carried a warm feeling in his heart for College Hill businesses. That connection is reflected in how they named the bar, keeping “Hill Street” as a nod to history.
That nostalgia, coupled with the proximity of the location to UNI, and the opportunity to invest in the revival of College Hill, and hence in the community that has helped raise them, opened a new lane for the family business.
Over the spring and the summer, the new owners gutted the building down to its studs. With the help of local businesses and also, their own muscles and hands, the reconstruction began.
At first, as they tore down decades-old ceiling tiles, ripped out walls, and pounded out various shelves, it looked more like total destruction rather than reconstruction, the brothers joked.
They filled multiple containers with plaster and debris, and at times it felt like there was no end to the big and small jobs that piled up in front of them, sometimes overwhelming them.
What kept them going was the hope that with every job they did themselves or hired a specialty crew to bring the tired building up to code, they were getting closer to the picture rendering they had drawn of the bar.
What the remodel looked like on the inside, with planning, delays and making sure everything fit the plan, will remain a family lore and an ongoing lesson in how to start a bar when you have never done that before.
“I can think of a million lessons, if I get to do it over,” Brian laughed.
But the joys and headaches of a startup venture are the reality of small business creation, so looking back, Brian knows he will continue to adjust the operation as customers come up with worthwhile suggestions.
So as the summer rolled on and one by one new pieces were added to the interior, chaos gave way to visible order. The outside sign first signaled the name and the purpose of the business, then, with the addition of the sizable quartz bar top, the space took on a new feel, and, with the arrival of the booths, the high chairs and the tables, the interior started to look complete. Then most recently, the custom-made windows overlooking the street, which were just installed with utmost precision, added a distinctive vibe to the Hill Street Dive.
In the evenings, as College Hill brightens the nightfall with festive lights, a recent addition to the exteriors of the buildings there and a part of the revitalization plan for the area, the open windows and the lights of the neighborhood bar add to the Hill’s character.
Enhancing the appeal, the windows can also be opened in good weather so customers can enjoy the fresh air, and so that walkers on the street and drivers can take a quick peek in.
Aside from the natural light from the street windows, the interior of the bar is well lit and an oversized neon sign to the left of the entrance offers a welcoming wink to customers.
The combination of high tables and booths, along with 10 TV screens on the walls, caters to sports fans’ tastes, showing multiple programs.
Behind the bar, a smiling Colin greets everyone with a personalized hello. Yes, barely a few weeks into the bar’s opening, Colin has already learned the names of the regulars, a courtesy, which makes them keep coming back.
On a recent late Wednesday afternoon, a pair of brothers sat at the bar, watching a game, and, as the day wound down, the seats at the tables started to fill up. Later in the week, around happy hour time, a group of women caught up with their friend group at one of the high tables while the chairs along the custom-made bar buzzed with chatter. Further down, a couple of students with open laptops sat in one of the booths.
At night, the atmosphere changes, with a younger crowd packing the space until closing time.
That aligns with the vision the owners had for the bar. They wanted a space that reflects the neighborhood–a mix of local residents and college students.
A lot of things are still in flux at the establishment, as one would expect in a newly opened business, but one thing is clear–Hill Street Dive is here to stay.
On the weekends, food trucks in the parking lot add to the experience with their specialized fare. If opening night on Sept. 5, is any indication, the food truck idea is a success. The food truck for opening night, Tut’s Num Num’s, of Evansdale, ran out of food by 8 o’clock.
An array of food trucks will be bringing their fare here and, starting in October, a schedule will be released so customers will know in advance what to expect.
During the week, one can get a corndog or munch on popcorn during a game. Bratwursts are also available and that offering has a special connection to UNI, where two generations of the Hoyer family went.
The bar has partnered with UNI student Kadin Walter, who recently founded Work ‘N Walter Farms, a business specializing in brats, jerky and snacks, which now operates out of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC).
That connection to the alma mater is especially meaningful to the owners as it may be the main reason why Brian decided to open a bar on the Hill.
A sure indication that the bar is taking root on the Hill is the fact that a couple of traditions have already started here.
Behind the bar is a board with dollar bills, attesting to the good will of the customers. Another tradition is centered around the big neon sign next to the front door with the bar’s name, where customers take selfies and group photos.
“We are pretty proud,” Colin said. “It turned out pretty darn good.”
