On The Town

Idle Hour Plans Two Fundraising Parties

The South Baltimore bar hopes to reopen with the help of a strong community.

[Update, 3/24: Idle Hour officially launched its Indiegogo campaign and donations can be made here.]

The popular Riverside corner bar Idle Hour—known for its penchant for pickle backs and Chartreuse—has been closed since December because of apparent structural damage.

Right before New Year’s, the bar’s co-owner Brendan Finnerty was looking to expand into the upstairs when he realized there were structural issues and Idle Hour has been closed ever since. In the meantime, the bar has been flooded with messages of support and questions about whether it will open back up again.

So now the bar has planned two fundraising parties in order for people to give back. The first party is this Saturday at Little Havana, which will feature a happy hour starting at 6 p.m. and music from DJ Tyler Quinn, Rachel Anne Warren & The Shrapnels, and DJ Action Figures.

The next one will take place in at the Ottobar on February 28 where Finnerty hopes to feature local bands and a possible partnership with WTMD. That will also probably be the night he launches the bar’s Indiegogo campaign to continue to raise funds.

“Right now, our insurance won’t cover anything,” Finnerty told us over the phone. “They’re just calling it ‘wear and tear.’ So now we’re kind of out in the cold.”

He explained that, with inspectors coming in and out of the space, it’s a very fluid situation, but they should know more about the prospect of the building in the coming weeks. But, one thing is clear—whether they have to move, partner with a developer, or get it fixed up—Idle Hour will continue in some form.

“It’s pretty wild. This has been so stressful, but we are absolutely amazed with how much support we’ve gotten,” Finnerty said. “We’re such a small bar but, no matter what happens, we’ve created a community and I’m proud of that.”

We have long been fans of the dimly lit bar, giving it various awards over the years, and we hope that with the help of generous people in the community, Idle Hour can remain a place to view local art, hear eclectic music on the record player and, of course, put back some Chartreuse.