Exploring Life & Business with Julia Petiprin of Homemakers Bar & PRN Interior Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Petiprin.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started in the hospitality industry like I imagine many others have, as a means to an end, to make sure I could pay my bills while pursuing other passions. I was born in Flint, Michigan, and raised right outside of it in a little rural city. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I high-tailed it to Los Angeles, I was 22. I lived there for 11 years and truly feel that’s where I grew up.

My eyes were opened in so many ways. I was working in the hospitality industry when I decided to go to school for Interior Design, which ended up coming very naturally to me. As I worked in hospitality, I learned that it could be more than a side job. There are highly intelligent individuals making real careers in the field, it was inspiring. While studying I decided that I’d like to combine my two passions.

Turned out, my first opportunity to do that was in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am a co-founder and was the Interior Designer and operations for Sundry and Vice, a highly successful craft cocktail bar in Over-The-Rhine. From there I continued to take on design projects and then ultimately opened another craft cocktail bar called, Homemakers Bar and have recently added a gin club to the operations.

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?
Being an entrepreneur is the hardest and most rewarding endeavor of my life. Saying it’s a rollercoaster ride is only scratching the surface. Uprooting my life to move across the country, not having any community was just the beginning. There have been countless sleepless nights and working countless 90-hour weeks but those are things you expect.

I didn’t expect to struggle with business partnerships, that has been surprising and the most difficult struggle of my journey. To open Homemakers Bar, my co-founder and I had to raise money. This isn’t a small feat for two women looking to open a bar. I am in a male-dominated business. Most people doubted us, some thought the idea of two women going into business together would be a complete disaster.

But a few key people believed in us and we were able to open the doors in June 2019. My co-founder has since moved on to work in a non-profit, an admirable decision. Her leaving was a challenge but as any entrepreneur knows, the show must go on and I’m lucky to have an incredible team that crushes it every day.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Homemakers Bar is a casual craft cocktail bar with light bites. The interior is full of nostalgia, silverware chandelier, broken china dishes on the bar top, and grandma’s souvenir spoon collection on display. In just one year’s time Homemakers Bar has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today’s 10 Best, Liquor.com, Saveur, Eater, and has won Best Bar/Restaurant of the year in OTR.

I have over 20 years of bar and restaurant design and operations experience. I was accepted into and completed the Bar 5-Day™ program, a prestigious spirits education in NYC. BAR® (the Beverage Alcohol Resource) holds the reputation as “the most trusted, comprehensive, innovative, and autonomous source of systematic information on distilled spirits and mixology in the beverage alcohol industry.”

In 2020 I competed in Speed Rack, an all-female high-speed bartending competition designed to highlight an up-and-coming woman in the cocktail industry and to give back to those affected by breast cancer as well as the Lux Row Bourbon Battle where I won the semi-final and got the opportunity to compete at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

As part of the Speed Rack community, I was able to be a part of Speed Rack Academy where I taught a virtual class on 2 and 3-ingredient cocktails, partnering with Four Roses Bourbon. I was featured in the fifth edition of the Jack Daniels Black Book, a highly regarded book featuring up-and-coming bartenders that is an extension of the Tasting Panel magazine. I am passionate about pushing for the Cincinnati cocktail scene to get Regional and National recognition.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Determination, hard work, detail-oriented, and the ability to keep moving forward no matter what setback.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.homemakersbar.com
• Instagram: @homemakersbar
• Facebook: @homemakersbar
• Other: www.prnid.com

Image Credits
Mike James