Five years ago, while eating breakfast with neighbors at Turnaround Café in Turner, an idea was birthed that led a local couple to restaurant ownership – Angel’s Share Barrel House.
“We were discussing how much potential the little town of Turner has, how quickly it was growing, and what types of businesses and community-driven places were needed,” said Chad Casady, who lives in the Turner area with his wife, Melissa, and family. “We talked about how cool ‘that old white church’ was around the corner and talked about what it would be like as a pub. Ultimately, we imagined a community-gathering place – somewhere that invites you in and provides a place for people to connect and have conversations. Simply put, we imagined a place that brings people together.”
After breakfast, the couple explored the structure around the corner that was build in 1891 by Octorara Presbyterian for $2,598. The congregation was dissolved in 1925 and in 1936, the Assembly of God purchased the building and the manse next door for $1,000. Regular services were held until 1979 when the congregation moved to a new location they named “Church on the Hill,” which is still there today.
In 1980, the Rev. Wesley Moore purchased the property for $60,000 and remodeled it to hold services while his family lived in the basement. The final services were held in the late 1980s, and the church basement was used as a residence for about a decade.
Both lifelong Oregonians and graduates of Western Oregon University, Chad, who worked in technology in the healthcare industry, and Melissa, a school teacher, purchased the old church in May 2016 with a dream of turning it into a taphouse.
“We immediately began demolition of the interior while working with a design and architecture team to do the planning, architecture and engineering work,” Casady said. “There isn’t enough time to describe all the challenges of turning a historic church into a taphouse. We had no idea what we were doing.
“The engineering required to ensure the building was stable highlighted some major issues that we had to fix,” he added. “First was the foundation and footings, which we knew would be an issue, but far more intensive than we expected. Second was the beams and posts, many of which needed to be removed and replaced.”
Casady said the issues required significant planning and effort to handle, and a construction team that could troubleshoot and get creative with solutions.
“Financing a project like this was more difficult than I anticipated,” he said, “but a local community bank listened to our story and vision and believed in us enough to give us a loan.”
Money in hand, repairs were made – new foundation, new beams and posts, new electrical wiring and new plumbing. Every step of the way, Casady said materials were evaluated for reusability or repurposing to salvage the historic nature of the old church.
Blessed with a top-notch dedicated team of professionals, artists and visionaries, the old church came to life as Angel’s Share Barrel House. The name embraced what’s known as the “angel’s share,” the amount of an alcoholic drink – such as cognac, brandy or whiskey – that is lost to evaporation when the liquid is being aged in porous oak barrels.
“Customer feedback has been excellent,” Casady said. “One of our most popular and well-known items on our menu is our fry bread tacos, which we make by hand. We’ve had them on the menu since we opened in May 2019, except for a couple of COVID-related breaks.”
Angel’s Share also serves craft beer and cocktails along with fun and fellowship.
“We regularly have trivia on Thursdays, and the first Wednesday of each month we have stand-up comedy,” Casady said. “Both are free events. On Saturdays, we have musicians playing, ranging from blues to country to rock.”
The taphouse has free Wi-Fi and is open 3-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m. Sundays and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Curbside pick-up is available during business hours. All tables are first-come, first-served.
Feedback has been great, Casady said, from “love this place,” “amazing food,” “great service,” “awesome beer and drinks,” to “come check out the talent and fun.”
The standing invite is to “have a pew and enjoy a pint with your friends. Choir practice daily!”
The Casadys want to thank the City of Turner for “being a pivotal partner in helping small businesses such as ours start and grow in Turner. We could not have completed this without the city’s support.”
“Finally, we would like to thank our friends, family, and the community of Turner for all of the love, support, and help we’ve received during this three-year adventure,” Casady said.
“We are truly blessed and grateful to have you all in our lives. Sláinte! [an Irish toast]”
