Exploring Life & Business with Derek Mullins of Shovel City Drinkery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Mullins.

Derek, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My family and i started a small takeout and delivery pizza shop back in 2007 called Genova’s Pizza. At 23 years old Genova’s Pizza is where i got all my managerial and business knowledge from. Working and running a pizza shop was fun but it was hard work, but that hard work paid off. Voted best pizza in Marion multiple times we started to carve out a name for ourselves in a small town ripe with pizza shops. Unbeknownst to myself the concept for Shovel City Drinkery started back in 2012 when i installed a full size bar in a spare room i wasn’t using at the time. After the bar install came a jukebox then a pool table followed by arcade games, foosball tables, air hockey and more. By the time i knew it, the whole downstairs had become one big bar/entertainment. area. Living close to a neighborhood bar, my friends and i would often bring everyone back after closing time 2:30 a.m. and would keep the party going until dawn. I did this for a few years, somehow without incident. I would stay behind the bar and mix drinks all night, every week featuring a new drink for that week. You had one drink to choose from so it was an easy gig. After i met my wife Andrea the parties started to slow but those nights, those fond memories were always in the back of my mind. Fast forward to 2018 and our downtown in Marion was starting to come alive. After years of neglect and decay we started seeing people take an interest in rehabbing and rebuilding our once forgotten downtown. Upon seeing this i had an idea. Our downtown could very well possibly be the next hot spot in Marion so i took a chance, actually a leap. Pizza shop and Drive-thru went up for sale ( we sold enough pizzas that we were able to purchase the drive-thru located beside Genova’s Pizza ) and a cool bar that had sat empty for years was purchased by my wife and i in hopes of starting something Marion didn’t have, an upscale bar with craft beer, cocktails and bourbon, lots of bourbon. Then COVID happened. Our hopes dashed and new business already in peril before it could even open i questioned my decision to start a bar but it was already too late to turn back. Luckily we were able to open in September of 2020 and the rest you could say is history.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Never once working as a real bartender before i did not know what to expect, but hey a business is a business. I used the same principles that made Genova’s Pizza a success. Quality product, do it right the first time, be clean with little waste or overhead, give the people what they want. Fortunately enough my wife and business partner Andrea had already been a bartender in Chicago, Columbus and in Marion so owning a bar was right up her alley. To say she excelled at it would be an understatement. Her main job was being a French teacher at our local high school but as you know with teacher pay, bartending supplemented her income. Yes COVID was a big hurdle but we made it. In a way we were kind of like a speakeasy when we first opened. Not much signage or advertisement but the word quickly spread.

As you know, we’re big fans of Shovel City Drinkery. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Shovel City Drinkery is Marion’s largest Bourbon, Craft Beer and Cocktail Bar. We focus on old school cocktails 1800s-1950’s. As with any cocktail bar we also feature riffs and variations on various classic cocktails. We offer over 340 Whiskies and Bourbons as well as a cocktail menu boasting more than 40 classic cocktails. We do barrel picks of whiskey, teach classes on alcohol , hold tastings , host food trucks year round as well as offer live music such as First Friday Blues night, Second Friday Jazz night and Third Friday could be anything from Country to Bluegrass, Classic Rock and more. We kind of do it all

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
My wife Andrea speaks multiple languages, she is a transplant originally from Minerva, Ohio but has lived in France as well as Mexico and Chicago. I always joke that i trapped her here in Marion but we have our fun. Me i’m an open book

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shovelcitydrinkery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shovel_city_drinkery?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shovelcitydrinkery2020