PHOTOS BY FRANK REBELO & STEVE K.
Uncommonly Common Originally from Chico, Byron Hetherton, Garth Archibald, and Jesse Grigg are 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation Chicoans, respectively. Brought together by their love of football and soccer, their families quickly became inseparable, over time creating a brotherhood between the boys. As is usually the case, each went in their separate direction after high school, but kept in touch, meeting whenever they could in Chico, or visiting each other at their new locales. During one such southern California visit in 2012, where Garth was playing professional soccer, Garth and Byron came upon a bar called Barrel Republic. Unlike other establishments they had frequented, this one didn’t have a bartender, rather a set of self-pour taps that ran the length of the building. While reminiscing about memories from their days in Chico, they realized that a bar like this would be perfect in their hometown.
Over the four years that followed, each of the three had sidebar conversations with one another about the self-pour bar concept, keeping the idea alive. Eventually, an email was sent in February 2017 which included everyone, suggesting that they turn the dream into reality. With Byron’s knowledge of business and investment in the beer industry, Jesse’s mastery of construction, and Garth’s experience in management and operations, the three were perfectly suited to begin the new undertaking together. They began looking at potential locations and serendipitously ran into the owner of Chico’s old Flying-A gas station on the corner of Park Avenue and Meyers Street. It was the perfect fit. They signed their lease and fully committed to opening Chico’s first self-pour social emporium. The three began demolishing the interior of the building in November 2017 and received their building permit in late December. A full team effort, the operation was overseen by Jesse and his contracting company, with plenty of old friends having a hand in the construction effort. Over the months that followed, long-time neighbors would stop by to see the progress and share stories of the old building’s owner, Barry, who was the paymaster on the U.S.S. Iowa. It quickly became evident that the location was firmly rooted in Chico history. To further honor this history, Jesse recycled a number of wood slabs from one of Chico’s fallen heritage trees and turned them into the communal tables in the bar’s main space. When it came time to name the new bar, one option organically rose to the surface—The Commons. Prideful of Chico and the long lasting relationships that seemed to naturally foster themselves here, it was their goal to create a bar that was welcoming to all and treated as a common space, rather than a private club for themselves and their friends. Defined as, “land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole community,” commons truly was a name fitting of their mission.
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