ROY, Utah — Bartending was never Terry Strickland’s dream job.
“I was unemployed at the time," he recalled. "[I] needed extra money, so went and done that, and here we are 31 years later.”
He met his now-wife, Julie Arthur, while working at the Rainbow Saloon. When the original owner closed the location on 5600 South, Terry and Julie decided to take over the bar, buy all the contents from inside and open a new Rainbow Saloon on State Route 126. They celebrated 22 years of owning the bar together on Friday night.
“A lot of people don't have family, and so they'll come here as nowhere else to go," said Julie.
The rainbow saloon is rooted in love, said Brittni Strickland, the two owners' daughter.
“My parents met at the Rainbow Saloon," she said. "We've had a lot of friends meet here. I met my boyfriend here; we've been together seven years.”
That love has kept the bar alive for 76 years, Julie said.
“Having a bar in Utah is hard," she said. "You are judged. I know, like, our daughter growing up, kids couldn't play with her because we owned a bar. And just to show we're not horrible people just because we come to a bar.”
For bar patrons, the Rainbow Saloon is not just a place to eat and drink.
“It is an establishment where this family specifically have gone way out of their way to be able to help the patrons that come here," said Aaron, who has been coming to the bar for more than 20 years.
Terry and Julie have raised thousands of dollars over the years for Shriners Children’s Hospital, the Legacy Suicide Survivors Group, as well as individual community members who have needed help with cancer treatments and funeral expenses.
“We feel that there's a sense of community here," said Aaron. "There's a sense of connection here.”
The bar’s slogan is "Saving lives, one jar at a time."
“It's very exciting to see how well he's done," said Terry Strickland Sr., the bar owner's father. "Julie and Brittni and him have really come a long ways here.”
Whether you’re 21 or 91, everyone is welcome at the Rainbow Saloon.
“You don't have to drink to come here to make friends with us," said Strickland Sr.
