COLORADO SPRINGS — As the weather gets warmer and the COVID-19 dial framework ends in El Paso County, bars are seeing more and more customers after over a year of a restriction roller coaster.
One of those local spots is Axe and the Oak Whiskey House, which has a taproom for their distillery. Co-owner Casey Ross said they had to close five different times during the pandemic, but were able to stay afloat because of their distillery. "It helped with the distribution aspect. We were able to keep going, keep some people working. We did have to lay a lot of people off, but we just kept bringing them back as we could," said Ross.
Ross said the past two weeks have been their busiest since March of 2020. "Throughout the pandemic, it's been hard. It's been hard for everybody. And I just want to give a huge shout-out to our staff, because they are really incredible. We're excited to see them back behind the bar," said Ross.
One of their bartenders is Zach Sherwood, who says he delivered newspapers throughout 2020 to help supplement his income. He wants to ensure the staff and customers stay safe, but is happy to be back at work. "You can sit across from me, and you can tell me about your day, and we can really get to connect," said Sherwood.
Axe and the Oak Whiskey House is bringing back live music for the first time since the shutdown on Saturday, May 1. Ross said they will proceed with one show a week.
