From The Mink To Mango's: Dust Settles Some After Wild Weekend

Photos by Marc Brubaker

In the Club: Former Mink bartenders (and Roky Moon & BOLT bandmates) Aaron Echegaray and Mike Hardin at Mango's

​While much of Texas is on fire, some of the smoke has cleared after a rather turbulent weekend. What began with last Thursday's sale of The Mink and continued with a flurry of accusations from both sides has now shifted into focus, as both sides seem determined to make their own success.

Rocks Off spoke with Mark Jones, former general manager and minority owner of The Mink, Wednesday to clear up some of the deal. While the sale came as a bombshell to the staff, Jones informed us that it had been in the works for a few weeks. A confidentiality agreement had prevented him from discussing the sale until after it was completed, he said, adding that he took umbrage with accusations that The Mink had been "hemorrhaging money."

"We weren't saved, we were sold," he said.

Jones continued to express his love for the bar. "I owe The Mink everything," he said. "I met my wife there; it gave me my family."

It was clear that for Jones, family was a term that meant more than just his wife and kids. "I'm truly grateful for Geoff Long, the main investor, for the commitment he'd made to me, and for my wife, having understood the hours I kept.

"And I'm grateful for every single person I've come in contact with, sitting and talking to, or doing business with - whether it be staff, a band, a writer, photographer, caterer, any of that. It's been the greatest six years of my life."

Amidst the turmoil, much of the Mink's former staff quit over the course of the weekend. It didn't take long for them to find a new home, however, as former Mink bartender and Roky Moon & BOLT frontman Mike Hardin declared on Facebook Monday night:

"I refused to let my [Mink] family fall apart. I'm happy to say that with the help of good ol' Eric Dean we have a new home!"

Mango's patio Wednesday night

​The group has moved over to Mango's, filling some staffing holes. "We're like a club. I'm not allowing our club to be broken up," Hardin told Rocks Off Tuesday night.

Dean, meanwhile, confirmed that no existing Mango's staff had been let go in order to make room for the new employees. Instead, he pulled himself out from behind the bar and is purely focused on general-manager duties. Regarding the decision to bring on the former Mink crew, Dean called it a "no-brainer."

"Brandon [Lemons] books good shows, and now I don't have that competition," he said Tuesday. "If I've got an all-star basketball squad, but I'm missing a power forward and somebody offers me Michael Jordan, I'm not turning that down. I'm always an optimist... it can't hurt anything. Give it a month and it'll be unstoppable."

For thrifty drinkers, both bars are now running $1 well nights - still Tuesdays at The Mink, and now on Wednesdays at Mango's. When we dropped by Tuesday to speak with new Mink owner Danielle Wegner, the bar's once-thriving crowd was sparse, however.

"We're not taking away their hangout," Wegner insisted. "We wouldn't have bought this particular bar if we wanted to change it. The only thing we're changing is how this business is run. A lot of things need to be repaired."

For those worrying about the bathrooms being fixed, that's on the list.

Hoping to dispel some rumors that have been circulating over the past several days, Wegner added, "We're not closing; we didn't fire anyone, we're not doing away with all the music, we're not turning it into a 'gay bar.'"

She hesitated following the final statement, as if in fear that the gay community would feel unwelcome.

"That's not what I'm implying," she continued. Some of the post-sale conversation has centered on Wegner and her partner's sexual orientation, something that she doesn't believe applies: "We want everyone to feel welcome."