Guillermo Calvo and his family want to finally bring a bar to Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood and make it a spot where neighbors enjoy one another’s company over drinks and tamales.
They’re calling it Paris Social Bar.
“Throughout the week, our goal is the vibe to just be more relaxed. Come enjoy dim lights, enjoy a good atmosphere, hence the name Paris,” Calvo said. “And then on the weekends, provide more live action, like small bands.”
The Calvos said opening the bar would bring a long-held family dream to life.
There are no bars within walking distance to Rose Park, and the nearest options require crossing an interstate. Some residents have long hoped a bar could provide a so-called third space — a place different from work and home where people can gather — for the neighborhood and the west side more broadly.
If the Calvos get their way, the new spot would be located at 910 W. 1000 North and replace Centro Unico, an event space next door to Don Daniel’s Mexican Grill & Cantina and Panaderia Lizbeth.
Calvo and his family presented their plans for the bar to a meeting of the Rose Park Community Council on Wednesday. Despite some excitement for the establishment, residents had questions about security around the building and noise.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Businesses on the corner of 1000 North and 900 West in the Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Calvo plans to apply for a bar license, but his sister-in-law Monica Acuña, who would manage the new spot, told meeting attendees Paris Social Bar will also serve food, like tacos, tamales and wings. According to a memo submitted as a part of Salt Lake City’s zoning process, the bar would be closed on Mondays, but otherwise open from noon to midnight Tuesday and Wednesday and from noon to 1 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. It would be able to hold around 150 people.
Quelling neighborhood worries
The Calvos run an entertainment business called Empresas Azteca, often hosting concerts at Centro Unico and other venues in Utah. They also run a Spanish-language radio station called La Mas Picosita that combines talk and all kinds of Latino music.
They pointed to their experience with managing large events with few safety issues when answering questions about security in the surrounding neighborhood. Calvo said they would have security doing rounds near the bar.
“I’m very excited for a Latino business coming in and thriving in a gentrifying community; at least it keeps its roots,” said Richard Gutierrez, who lives near the proposed bar and works in the restaurant industry. “Marketing is a very key point for this business that’s coming in to make sure that the neighborhood is included. But I primarily understand the neighborhood’s concern of safety, as well, and I think that’s what everyone wants.”
Other neighbors asked how managers expect to keep noise levels down. The answer: the indoor space has already been soundproofed and there won’t be any outdoor places to hang out.
City Council Chair Victoria Petro, who represents the neighborhood, said the area needs more businesses like these, and commended owners for coming out to the meeting even though it wasn’t required.
“Our neighborhood is in desperate need of economic development opportunities, and the outcry for amenities like coffee shops and bars has frequently come from my neighbors,” Petro said. “I heard a willingness to not just make money from being in a community, but to actually be part of the community.”
A shorter hike to a pint
Currently, the nearest bar is a cabaret called Molly’s Gemini Room, across Interstate 15 at 412 W. 600 North, but it’s more of a performance venue than neighborhood watering hole. For something a bit more laid back, Poplar Grove’s Redwood Lounge and Capitol Hill’s Mountain West Cider are farther afield.
Calvo said Paris Social Bar would open as soon as the business gets the nod from city and state authorities. The bar needs a conditional use permit from the city to operate at the building. The project is in the middle of a public comment period, so once that wraps up, city planning staff will develop a recommendation for the planning commission. That body will make a final decision on whether to issue the permit.
After that, Calvo said he would pursue a bar license from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services. The state’s liquor commission only has two bar licenses available right now.
