Blue Spark Has Its Own Distinctive Ambience Pub Serves Strictly Imports, Microbrews; Atmosphere Is ‘Cool, Urban’

If you’d asked Dan Ellis what he wanted to do several years ago, he would have said, “Teach!”

A Gonzaga grad, Ellis aspired to “fill young vessels,” with history and civics.

But after a year instructing sixth- and seventh-graders, Ellis became disillusioned. The kids were great, he said. The problem was the money.

“I didn’t make any,” Ellis said.

Now, the former educator is hoping to turn a profit in the bar business. Ellis opened The Blue Spark at First and Howard last November.

The words hip and kitsch come up frequently when people describe the place. Elvis Costello and bull fighting posters decorate the walls. Punk music from the ‘80s dominates the juke box, and cheesy movies run nonstop on old TVs. Booth seats sport leopard skin patterns.

The eclectic bar “fills a vacuum,” Ellis said.

“I would go to cities like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, even Boise. They all had places that were cool, urban,” Ellis said. “Spokane, a city of 200,000 people, had nothing.”

After brainstorming for several years, Ellis and GU buddy Bernie McGuire went in together on the venture last March. Ellis is the front man for the operation, managing the business and tending the bar.

“It’s really exciting for me to create something that is distinct,” he said.

The fledgling bar owner is still working to establish a clientele, but he’s betting that people will be attracted to quality. The Spark is cleaner and safer than others, he says, and the beer - strictly imports and microbrews - is better.

Bruce Peterson showed up to catch the talent at Monday’s open-mike night. He’d never been to the Spark before and liked the look.

“It’s different, and that’s nice - the high ceilings and decoration. It’s not like walking into your normal bar.”

For Jeff VanDyke, a recruiter for the Navy, the draw was good Guiness.

“It’s exceptional,” he said. “I’m a connoisseur, and I can tell you he pours a good beer. He’s got a good dispensing system and gets a good head on the brew. It’s like pudding.”

From the bar, Ellis beamed.

“We’re building the place person by person,” he said.

The next step, Ellis said, is to start serving mixed drinks. He expects to get a liquor license within the next couple of months, at which point he’ll serve hot food in addition to the sandwiches and other light fare the bar currently offers.