The Bends feels like it was built by young entrepreneurs with more creativity and DIY knowhow than capital. Inhabiting the same space brought to life by ArtPool, the Bends attracts a steady clientele of tattooed, mustached, and skinny-jeans-wearing patrons to this oasis of PBRs, no-nonsense cocktails, and cigarettes. The interior is ornamented with repurposed wood, a portrait of Tom Selleck's mustache, an eclectic soundtrack, and art installations that are as variously impressive and terrible as the variety of tattoos on display. The Edge District location provides a certain mystique, as well as a buffer from tourist traffic.
This article appears in Sep 19-25, 2013.