Karie Brooks mixes mocktails in one of her Shaken Not Spurred pop-up bars. (Courtesy Shaken Not Spurred)
A horse-trailer-turned-mobile-bar business is adding to it fleet.
Shaken Not Spurred, which launched last year when Hanover County resident Karie Brooks upfitted a two-horse trailer named Shelby to serve cocktails at events, just launched a new food truck and is set to open the doors on its first brick-and-mortar space this month.
Clyde, pictured here, is the new horse-trailer-turned-food-truck for Shaken Not Spurred. (Courtesy Shaken Not Spurred)
Keeping true to its theme, the business’s first food truck is a horse trailer called Clyde.
Brooks said having a food component opens up the business to more opportunities, like fairs and other public events where alcohol might not be included.
“I never pictured myself as a food truck owner, but here I am. So now, not only can I do weddings, corporate events and private parties, now I can do all of it and do catering,” Brooks said.
Brooks purchased the 16-foot-long trailer in November and set to work on upgrading it to a food truck. All in all, the trailer cost her about $35,000, she said, and she just started catering her first events with it this month.
The truck’s initial menu consists of grilled cheese options like the Trailblazer, a spicy sharp cheddar, Texas toast and jalapeño sandwich, and the Winner’s Circle, with a chive and onion spread on melted mozzarella.
The truck also offers a smattering of charcuterie board cups, filled with meats, cheeses and fruits.
Clyde is $350 per hour to rent, while grilled cheese sandwiches are $15 each and charcuterie cups are $14 each for customers.
Shaken Not Spurred also offers several pop-up bars with seating – including one with a modern theme, a 1970s-inspired pop-up, one with a cigar and whiskey lounge setup and a mocktails-only pop-up.
The company will work events within a two-hour drive of the company’s home base in Hanover. Any trips farther than 40 miles incur a fee of $3 per additional mile.
The consultation room for Shaken Not Spurred’s new HQ. (Photo by Jackie DiBartolomeo)
Brooks is also opening her first commercial space to accommodate the company’s growth.
Set to open May 22, Shaken Not Spurred’s 1,800-square-foot, two-story space is located at 8169 Pine Ridge Road in Mechanicsville.
It has garage space for Clyde and Shelby, as Brooks said Shelby had been experiencing wear and tear while exposed to the elements in her home’s driveway.
The space will also be set up to greet customers, who can visit what Brooks calls the “consultation room,” where they’ll be greeted by a wave of 1970s nostalgia, complete with wood-paneled walls, a retro candy machine, a vintage clock, wall art, plush upholstery and bathroom that will have a ’70s-era blue toilet.
Brooks said the consultation and lounge room will be for guests to explore pricing, while also being able to check out Shelby and Clyde and the pop-up bars in the neighboring garage.
Brooks said the 70s theme was intentional. Besides being the decade she was born into, she wanted customers, especially Gen Z-ers, to be able to walk into the space and experience something different than what they’re used to.
“I wanted to cater to the Gen Zs and what they were looking for. I want them to enjoy and get a feel of that nostalgia,” she said.
Brooks paid around $300,000 for the space, which she owns.
As Shaken Not Spurred heads into year two, Brooks said she’s both proud of what she’s already accomplished and ready for what happens next, new food truck and headquarters in tow.
“I’m super excited because I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to think of next?’ … But I think for right now I’m going to stick with these new things, because there’s been so many,” she said.
