NEWBERG, Ore. — Kelly Koch knows something is missing from the local nightlife scene.
Koch once worked to purchase another building in downtown Newberg, hoping to add a restaurant and nightlife concept to the ground floor. The plans dissolved, but Koch said he couldn’t shake the feeling that Newberg still needed something.
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“Newberg needs this,” he said. “I love Newberg — I live up on Chehalem Mountain. And the downtown area is nice, but it needs a little excitement. We want to make it more of a destination for people looking to go out and have a good time.”
That idea became Bronco Kelly’s, an upcoming “old-fashioned saloon” in the former Ruddick/Wood space at 720 E. First St., expected to open later this year. Koch said he’s building the kind of bar he misses, complete with locally sourced food and drinks, a stage for live music and dancing, pool tables, darts, and a relaxed atmosphere.
“My wife and I have been married for 45 years, and we used to go out dancing in our 20s and 30s all the time,” he said. “There were a lot of places to go dancing on the weekends, and unfortunately, something changed. We don’t have those places to go out and have a fun night out anymore.”
Koch, a contractor and former antiques dealer, said restoring older buildings is part of his passion. His company helped renovate the 1888 Building’s boutique short-term rentals with period-appropriate fixtures and furnishings to highlight the structure’s original charm. Now he’s applying that same vision to the new building, built in the 1920s.
“You go to a lot of resort towns — like Telluride, Colorado, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming — and they have preserved their downtown areas,” he said. “We don’t have that yet. We are starting to see that around town, which is great. We’re going to be a part of that revival.”
Bronco Kelly’s is also reconfiguring the interior. Walls in the main dining area have been removed to make room for a 24-foot mirrored bar reminiscent of a late-1800s saloon. The walls separating Ruddick/Wood’s dining room from the tavern were also taken out to create one cohesive space. The back area will hold the pool tables and other bar games.
“It needs to be a fun place to go, and a place where people feel safe,” Koch said. “It’ll be open late, and you can come with your buddies for a pint and pool or throw some darts. It’s going to be a cross between Cheers and Gilley’s (the famous honky tonk bar in Pasadena, Texas).”
Koch said supporting local businesses is a key part of his plan — from beer to beef.
“We’re going to do pretty much everything local,” he said. “A lot of local beers, a lot of local spirits. We’re partnering with places that make local vodkas and whiskeys, and I’m going to try to source all local, grass-fed beef. I’m really big on that.”
The name comes from a combination of Koch’s childhood nickname, Bronco, and the first name he shares with his wife, Kelly. The business will be family-run by the Kochs and their children.
Since hanging an announcement sign on the building last week, Koch said the community has shown considerable excitement.
“We’ve had a ton of people stop in and open the doors to see what’s going on,” he said. “A lot of them are telling us they’re ready for us to be open right now.”
The space remains under construction, but Koch hopes to open in the next several weeks. Updates will be posted on Instagram at @bronco_kellys.
Correction Aug. 20 @ 11:37 a.m. — The original article attributed a quote to Kelly saying that the bar will be a combination of Cheers and Gil’s speakeasy in Portland. Koch clarified that he was referencing Gilley’s Honky Tonk in Pasadena, Texas. He also requested Newsberg remove the name of a former business partner.
