Meet Azalea Barr | Bartender & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Azalea Barr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Azalea, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve worked at a restaurant for six years now and I always get asked by guests sitting at the bar if I bartend private events. I’ve been doing that on the side kind of sporadically for a while now but it wasn’t until covid happened that I proposed to my husband the idea of starting a bartending business. The lack of control and stability that I felt during covid is really what pushed us to start this business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I studied at ASU for two bachelor’s (one in drawing and one in photography) but didn’t end up finishing. At the very end I was pretty burnt out and I was very happy working at the restaurant where I still work. During that time at Arizona State I put in a lot of work though and it made me a pretty successful artist- I had many art shows under my belt, received a lot of grants for my work, did an artist residency in New York, and experienced a lot that I wouldn’t have been able to if I wouldn’t have worked so hard and been naturally gifted. In the end, though, I realized that being an artist wasn’t my calling and I really thought that was the end of my art practice. Now a few years later, as the lead bartender of that same restaurant, when I got the idea to start our bartending business, I realized that marketing was going to be our greatest tool. I started taking photographs again which has probably been the most satisfying part about our business. I also drew our logo and have been working on other illustrations, and seeing how I can finally tie in my background in the arts with my job as a bartender and business owner has been so gratifying and rewarding. That is honestly probably my biggest (very personal) achievement in the last year. It’s awesome to hear people say, “Your Instagram is beautiful”, or “I reached out because of the way you present your work through your photographs”, or “I chose you over many other businesses because of your marketing”. I feel like I’ve finally found a successful way to do literally everything I love.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Coffee- Cafe Mollie- I recommend this place to literally everyone. There is no other place like it in Phoenix. It is a Vietnamese coffee shop with really unique coffee. My husband and I go here like once a week. Lunch-Taste of Thai Arcadia- We are LOYAL to this place. We are here at least once a week. It is family owned and has to be the best Thai food in Phoenix.
Dinner-Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn for romantic dinner vibes
Drinks with a view- Elements at Sanctuary- I always recommend this to guests sitting at the bar if they’re looking for good vibes, good bartenders and a beautiful view.
Late night drinks- Killer Whale Sex Club- I love everything about this concept- the location, the name, the drinks, it’s dark. Definitely one of Phoenix’s most interesting bars
OR
Little Woody’s, one of the best dive bars in Phoenix (and also where my husband and I had our first date).
Aside from food and drinks? A walk up Piestewa is my favorite thing to do in the valley.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without my husbands trust and him believing in my vision we would not be where we are today. Not only is he receptive to all of my ideas, he is one of the few people in my life that isn’t scared to do scary things. He never doubts our ability to do anything together. When I have a big idea he is there for it and he’s excited. He doesn’t put up a bunch of “buts’ like other people around me. It doesn’t matter to him that we don’t know exactly what we are doing at the moment-he knows we can learn and figure it out. He is the bravest person I know, which in turn, makes me brave and more confident.

Website: https://www.rollingsips.com/

Instagram: @rollingsipsphx

Other: Tiktok: rollingsipsmobilebar

Image Credits
Eleanor Demore