See Inside Portland’s New Creepy’s Clown Bar

When the team behind the White Owl Social Club turned on the lights and music at 627 SE Morrison yesterday, they unveiled a new contender for the weirdest bar in Portland — one that will appeal to robot engineers, beer-memorabilia fashionistas, and fanatics of Stephen King’s I.T. alike: Creepy’s is a full bar serving East Coast food, and it is filled with clowns, animatronic dolls, hand-painted movie posters, and beer sweaters.

Yes. Beer sweaters.

“We wanted a haunted mansion meets Trader Vic’s atmosphere,” co-owner Matt Relkin tells Eater. “It’s also influenced by movies, which will be regularly playing on the bar’s two screens. We want there to be something to look at at all times.”

The bar back, filled with animatronic vintage toys

Relkin and his partners did the build out themselves, and most of the decor comes from their personal collections. Here are some highlights:

Beer Sweaters: “Companies like Pabst, Busch, and Budweiser made all these sweaters in the ’60s and ’70s,” says Relkin. “I think we have the largest collection of legit, vintage beer sweaters in the country.” They come courtesy of co-owner and artist AJ Fosik.
A five foot tall portrait of John Quincy Adams with eyes that occasionally move
Original, hand-painted movie posters from the Ghana film industry, which stand around seven feet tall
“Animatronics stuff”: Relkin says the team overhauled a bunch of battery-powered tin toys from the ’50s and ’60s and put them on timers. They’re located around the bar, and, thanks to those timers, they will sporadically perform stunning acts of daring (or whatever).
“A seven-foot peacock”

The team says all of the decor was collected over years. “We didn’t say, ‘Hey we’re going to open a bar, so let’s scout eBay for a bunch of random shit,” Relkin says.

Taxidermy and hand-painted Ghallywood movie posters

Red-leather booths, hand-blown glass octopus chandeliers, and clowns

Creepy’s is now open daily, starting at 3 p.m., in the former Charlie Horse Saloon venue at 627 SE Morrison. Food and drink are served until 2:30 a.m. Like at the White Owl, the Creepy’s kitchen wants to accommodate all dietary preferences, and it takes sustainability seriously.

“There’s no beef on the menu,” says Relkin, “and we’re conscious about waste. Due to having more space, we can be a little more creative. I want to serve the best bar food in Portland.”

Here are the opening day menus: