Courtesy / Funky Red Barn
The Funky’s eclectic interior helped make it a late-night hot spot.
July 19, 2019
Funky Red Barn was a dive-bar favorite in Bethel
Courtesy / Funky Red Barn
The Funky Red Barn Restaurant and Bar, a dive-bar favorite in Bethel, sold in June for $305,000.
After 15 years, the owner of the Funky Red Barn Restaurant and Bar in Bethel was ready to put the property on the market and return to his original career focus in real estate development.
Barry and Brooke Hallett Jr. closed the Funky Red Barn and sold the property, at 19 Summer St., to Jems & Co. LLC for $305,000. Ed Herczeg and Mark Brown of Bean Group Commercial brokered the deal, which closed June 14.
“This was a well-known establishment with skiers and locals around Sunday River,” said Herczeg, who represented the Halletts.
Known locally as The Funky, the establishment was voted a top North American ski-town dive bar by Backcountry Facebook fans in 2014.
“We are excited to say that there will be a new family taking over at 19 Summer Street under a new name,” Barry Hallett said in a Facebook post.
Gloucester developer
The building dates back to the turn of the century, said Hallett. Among its uses, it was a granary and a hardware store. It was later renovated and turned into a restaurant/nightclub called the Backstage Lounge, Hallett said.
“Then we purchased it and it became the Funky Red Barn for 15 years,” he said. “That span of time is pretty unheard of in the restaurant business.”
Hallett grew up tuna fishing in Gloucester, Mass. He became a real estate developer in Gloucester. He used to frequent the Backstage Lounge and knew it was for sale.
“It was a rough place,” he recalled. “I thought, 'If I clean it up, it would draw more people from Sunday River.'”
He ended up both running his real estate business in Massachusetts and developing and then running The Funky as a year-round establishment.
“It was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve eve done,” he said. “I was the cook, the doorman, the bartender. I was everything I could possibly be.”
Fifteen years was long enough.
Melting pot
“I’m not a restaurateur by trade,” he said. “It pretty consumed me and my family. It was a lot of work.”
He and his crew also participated in just about every local event, like the Molly Ockett Day parade and events for local charities, he said.
Courtesy / Funky Red Barn
Seller Barry Hallett is also a real estate developer in Gloucester, Mass.
“A lot of people looked forward to coming to our place,” he said. “I don’t think there was anything out there that compared to the type of business it was. It was safe and crazy and a melting pot. We had people from all walks of life and they all came together and had a really good time.”
He added, “If it weren’t for my incredible staff — we were like family — we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we’ve done. I feel l like the Funky Red Barn was more of a state of mind than a location. One of our phrases was ‘fun fun funky.’ That‘s what it was.”
The funk switched on when dinner service in the restaurant ended each evening, he said. Late into the night, the bar served pizza made by his friends, Maria’s Pizza in Gloucester.
“They would flash-freeze it and we would serve it behind the bar late nights,” he said.
All-consuming
The restaurant and nightclub business were all-consuming, “especially if you want to make sure everyone’s safe and having a good time,” he said.
The bar was known for its DJ, Peter G, and for its live entertainment by regional bands, he noted.
Courtesy / Funky Red Barn
DJ Peter Goding was a regular at The Funky.
The restaurant was known for its prime rib, he said.
“I coined the line, we were the ‘prime rib king of the western foothills of Maine,’” he said. “We did Thursday night prime rib specials almost from the start. The locals and the seniors loved it.”
He said he was also proud that he brought up his daughters in the business.
“When you bring your kids up working, they’ve got a great work ethic,” he said. “This past season, they brought in some friends. My daughters and their friends were waiters, bussers, dishwashers. It was great that I got to work with my children and their friends.”
Hallett said he plans to return his focus to real estate development.
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