Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Moriah Hobgood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Moriah , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Nearly 10 years ago now, here in Evansville, IN we were lacking any sort of cocktail culture. You had to drive 2 hours any other direction to get a cocktail. We sit in the middle of Lousiville, St. Louis, Nashville & Indianapolis so it seemed crazy to me to not have any kind of cocktail culture here. I got the opportunity to help open a little bar called the Blue Bar in this new Italian resturant opening. I was so excited because the opportunity allowed me to be as creative as I wanted to behind the bar. Given that we were missing such a culture, I really wanted to do something that helped educate our city on cocktails and all the history behind them. I worked at that little bar for nearly two years and made such a name for myself as a bartender that soon the idea of bartending turned into wanting to own my own space one day. As a broke bartender, the idea of owning my own space was the dream but how I would execute doing it was puzzling. I had watch numerous episode of Shark Tank and thought to myself, “I mean if these people can do it, with a good business plan, I can too.” I spent one full year putting a plan together and finally started pitching the idea to investors. Turns out, one of my regulars whom had told me multiple times that if I ever wanted to do anything on my own, he would love to sit down with me. That sit down turned into a beautiful partnership and 6 months later we opened the doors to Mo’s House, an amazing neighborhood cocktail destination that was there to educate guests and craft amazing cocktails for our city. We are nearly 8 years in and haven’t stopped educating our guests and crafting amazing cocktails for our city. The dream of opening a place that felt like you were sitting at your best friends house enjoying a drink has become a incredible reality. At our house, everyone is welcome. Being able to have guests walk in our doors and enjoy a delicious cocktail and let the pains of the day wash away…. well that is something that we strive for every day.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have always been an artist. Vibrant colors, intriguing textures and thoughtful art are things that have always caught my eye and made me inspired. I went to school for photojournalism and textile design thinking that one day I would be a fashion photographer in New York City. Little did I know that at 18 years old, my dad would open a bar and that I would love the industry as much as I did. I worked in a handful of places throughout school to help pay the bills but had no clue that I would spend so many years in the service industry. From breweries to nightclubs, there was something in each place that I would love and learn to take with me to the next spot. The Blue Bar was the place that I truly was able to create a name for myself. People that were getting off work, began to share with friends that the best martini in town was made by “MO at the Blue Bar.” When the opportunity to open my own place came along, I knew that I wanted to be known for having a space that felt good, was welcoming, could educate on the craft and be a place where special moments would never be forgotten. 8 years in we have become all of those things. At Mo’s House, we strive to offer world class cocktails. Had a cocktail in LA that you just haven’t been able to get anywhere else? No worries! If you know what was in it, we can get real close to bringing you back to that moment and time of that first sip you had. We have hosted wedding, engagements, cocktail classes, birthdays and even funerals. We strive to make sure people are enjoying themselves no matter the occasion is. You never know what someone is going through and being kind to people doesn’t cost a thing. One of the things that I am most proud of here at the house is that on any given day you can look around and see every type of person sitting and conversating in the same room. To have a place where people feel very welcomed, comfortable and can sit back and enjoy themselves for just a bit no matter how hard their day has been is something I am very proud of. Also, I am beyond proud of the crew we have at Mo’s House. Since day one, the ones that have come on here have believed in the dream and worked so hard to help execute it.
How’d you meet your business partner?
The first day I met my partners, was nearly 2 years before we ever thought about opening a business. Jack & Alice would come in every Friday night to the Blue Bar to have dinner. They were friends with my boss at the time so the first night they were there, he had a little reservation sign with their names on it. I remember them walking in and introducing myself and asking how they were. They introduced themselves and returned the question. At that time in my life, I had gotten in a bit of legal trouble and had spent a few nights in jail. So my first response to them both was “well I’m not in jail so I’m real good!’ They both got such a kick out of that response that from that moment on we talked just as if we were old friends. Both of them had been in the resturant business before which I did not know at time. They sat at the bar drinking wine, having dinner and chatting it up with me. We said our goodbyes and I told them I would see them next Friday. I found out years later that that same night, as Jack pulled up the car and opened the door for Alice, she gave him and death stare. He asked what the problem was and she responded, “WE ARE NOT GETTING BACK IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS!” Jack responded “You’re right. We aren’t. We’re getting in the liquor business and one day we are going to work with that girl.” A little less that two years later I met with Jack and pitched him my business plan. After I was done, he pulled out a checkbook and wrote me a check. I asked him, “Now what?” He looked at me and said “It wasn’t my idea so figure it out.” Years later we are still working on growing that same business plan.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In the service industry, I feel like you spend lots of time turning on a dime. The door opens and 30 people walk in and help doesn’t get there for another two hours. It happens all the time. Staying confident in yourself and communicating is a huge factor in being able to succeed in whatever you are trying to get through. Covid was a huge pivotal moment for many businesses. We went from shaking 400 cocktails a night to making no cocktails and converting those same cocktail recipes to carryout cocktail kits for people to make at home. We were closed for 3 months. Every day was a puzzle in how you would get to the next. Those days were really hard but giving up wasn’t an option. Figure how how to navigate through it all was like driving down the highway in a car blind. We were going to get to the destination eventually but there were lots of bumps, crashes, obstacles and full blown off road adventures to get there. Honestly, at times it’s still crazy to think back on those days and think that we made it to the other side of it. I owe a huge thank you to every single person that supported us through those crazy times.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mos-house.com
- Instagram: moshouse812
- Facebook: moshouse812
- Twitter: moshouse812
Image Credits
Photos By Alisha White with Fearlessly Feminine
Photos By Alex Morgan Imaging