MILTON — April Gutierrez always wanted to open a bar of her own. After 22 years of bartending, she made her move.
A native of New Orleans, the single mother of two autistic children took a loan against her home and purchased a dilapidated bar in East Milton and began to fix it up. She said she decided to pursue her dream because of her brother, a sergeant in the Army, who passed away in 2015.
"(My brother Earl) was always so encouraging to me," Gutierrez said. "After he died I could hear him saying, 'Go for it.' Losing him was very hard for me. That's why I named the bar Sgt. Earl's."
Gutierrez said she was left her brother's life insurance policy after his death. She used that money to pay off her home, which she then used as collateral for a low-interest loan to open the bar. She said she felt comfortable taking the risk because if the business venture failed, she would be able to handle it financially.
"Eighty percent of bars that open fail," She said. "My biggest problem is getting people to stop here because of its past."
Guiterrez said the previous establishments had a bad reputation that included police calls to the location. Working as a bartender in various places, she said she noticed that bars were becoming, "unsavory."
She said she is working hard to turn that around and open a place where women especially would feel comfortable.
"Not only have the police not been called, but we haven't had any physical fights in the six months I've been open," she said. "We are working hard to keep it that way."
Gutierrez has an outdoor area where patrons can enjoy live music and recreational games, including horseshoes.
In addition to the new bar, Gutierrez offers a new drink. She said she has created a unique beverage base for clients around wine-based alcohol, something that she said has never been tried in Milton before.
"We have specialty drinks from my version of the Long Island Iced Tea to the U.S.S. Pensacola, a drink that is very popular and my personal recipe," she said.
Gutierrez's biggest hope is that people will know her establishment is a place where they can come and enjoy themselves safely. She said she wants people to think of Sgt. Earl's as a place where they can feel comfortable meeting new people.
"I'm working hard at giving this old building a new life and new reputation." she said.
Sgt. Earl's is located at 8121 Highway 90 in East Milton.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'A new life'