Adrienne Shearer talks about how Sterling Pig is becoming part of the community.
Photo by: Amy Tucker
Interview by: Dan Mathers
So, how long have you been with Sterling Pig? Four years.
I guess that means you were in the Media location before opening here? I actually opened the Media location, too. When this one was opening, they brought me out to manage the bar.
Brought you out from where? Well, I’m from Delco — I grew up in Springfield— and although I was working in Media, I actually I moved to West Chester about three years ago. I have two kids, Jackson is eight and Hayden is five, and we came here for the community and the school district. Delco was becoming a little too congested for me.
Sounds like a perfect opportunity. It really was. How’d you get into bartending? I have been in the industry since… gosh, forever.My first job was busing tables. I moved throughout everything in the restaurant. And then, what? 20 years ago I was working at a brewery in Springfield called John Harvards. That’s where I met Brian McConnell who is the owner and brewer at Sterling Pig.
I assume you stayed in touch? Yeah.When I heard he was starting the Media location with his business partner Loic Barnieu, I reached out. We met up and I started working right away, and when they considered opening this location he approached me about the opportunity.
Has it been a good fit? Things are going well. We started off really strong, but going into summer it’s been a little slower. I’m hoping that September will pick back up, and it’ll be like a whole new grand opening. So far, the feedback has been great: the food and especially the beer are get-ting great reviews. We’ve been distributing beer to West Chester bars for a while now,so I’m not surprised it’s been well received.
Is it just beer? No. We have great food,plus a full bar and kegged cocktails on draft that rotate out regularly. Right now we’ve got an old fashioned and a mojito on.
If I hop up to your bar, what should I order? Depends on the day — we have discounted food at the bar during the week. So, $2 sliders on Monday, $2 tacos on Tuesday and $0.50 wings on Wednesday. Otherwise, our specialty is BBQ. We do all of our own smoking in-house, and our wings are the best wings I’ve ever had.
Can you describe the vibe? I think it comes off as a real comfortable environment. People like to come in and hang out for a while, because it’s welcoming. Especially with that garage door opening up out front, you feel like you’re outside with the benefits of being inside. I hope it has the feel of a neighborhood bar, and I’m sure it will be once people have been in a few times and feel comfortable. We want to be part of the community.
How so? We’re trying to participate in everything that’s going on, plus our beers are still in other bars, even though we’re here now. Our goal is not to compete but to be partners with everyone.