At 1:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, the Dry Canyon Club is filled with people. Kids are riding scooters, families are picking up a late lunch, friends are meeting to socialize up and there are few people working on laptops. It’s a busy afternoon, but general manager Masson Hart said the venue hasn’t slowed down since it opened July 1. 

“Seeing the community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly awesome,” Hart said.  

Located at 1865 NW Hemlock Ave. and owned by Mark Merrick and Rob Littleton, the Dry Canyon Club is surrounded on all sides by modern suburban homes. It has an outdoor patio with a coffee bar, 24 beers on tap, wine, non-alcoholic beverages and a variety of indoor and outdoor seating. The club is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Its food and drink options range from the popular Tight Knot Coffee to food trucks specializing in smoothies and paninis, vegan food, pizza, Mexican, grill fusion and smoked meats.

Since the day they opened, Dry Canyon Club has heard very positive feedback from their customers. 

“One thing that’s been really overwhelmingly positive for us,” Hart said. “Is we’ve heard a lot of folks come in and say they feel welcome here, a safe space. And so that’s something I’m taking pride in.” 

According to Hart, 355 people showed up for their grand opening and they welcomed 1,900 people over their first week. 

Dry Canyon Club currently has nine employees working, including Hart’s wife Kailee and their four kids. The children bus tables and stock coolers over the weekend.

Neighbors turn out

Sharon Aas and her husband have lived nearby for five years and have been regular visitors to the Dry Canyon Club in its first weeks in business. They have made it a habit to grab a coffee in the morning or a beer in the afternoon. They appreciate the cleanliness of the venue and the friendliness of the staff.

“This is the best thing that has even happened to this neighborhood,” Sharon Aas said.

Other neighbors agree. Martin Espinoza lives a few blocks from the venue and loves the atmosphere. He thinks that the staff are great and they are already making changes, which he likes.

“We love the fact that they’re always mixing it up,” Espinoza said. “We like the fact that things are ever-changing. There’s always something new coming in.”

Those new additions include high chairs in the eating area and toys and games for kids. Hart said customers can expect to see more activities pop up, including trivia and live music. More food trucks will also still getting added, including Chasin Pizzas. Its founder, Aaron Fass, is excited to expand his business out of Bend and connect with the Redmond community. 

“It’s clearly going to be a staple of this neighborhood,” Fass said of the Dry Canyon Club. “That’s all we can ask for as a business is to be a staple in a neighborhood and build something that’s going to be long term.” 

Redmond has made it a priority to add commercial opportunities in residential areas, hoping to create more walkable and complete neighborhoods where restaurants, grocery stores and retail stores could operate.

That means that venues like Dry Canyon Club are starting to pop up in the city, said Redmond City Councilor Cat Zwicker. Zwicker is also small business owner, managing an independent real estate brokerage. Zwicker said there is a need for cretating smaller commercial spaces near homes in Redmond. 

“This is just one more thing where people can come park their car, grab their family or friends without the burden of having to create that in your own (home),” Zwicker said. 

Redmond does have a noise ordinance that goes into effect every night at 10 p.m. — both for downtown businesses and those in residential areas. According to Hart, the club turns down its music at 9 p.m., to be respectful to neighbors.

“We shut down at 10 p.m. every night to comply with the noise ordinance,” Hart said. “But we want to be good neighbors.”

The club also encourages different forms of transportation besides driving, which is easier in a residential area where more people live within walking and biking distance. Hart said that since they share a parking lot with many driveways, he recommends biking and walking whenever possible. There is also nearby street parking.