George Wood Jr. | Blot | Patrons of enjoy beers and exchange words at the The Perch 2, located on sixth street.
For birds in flight, a perch represents a temporary haven, and The Perch on the University of Idaho campus isn’t much different for students and alumni. Nestled on University Avenue, The Perch offers students a place to relax from the constant activity of student life.
“It was a small community environment, you knew everybody that was in there,” said Chris Kornelis, who graduated UI in 2005.
Vandals past and present who have frequented The Perch hold consensus on a few different images. The Perch has always been a welcoming environment where patrons would likely see friends and acquaintances grabbing brewskis for the evening, chowing down on some lunch or scoring snacks and other goods from the campus grocery store.
“The Perch was homey kind of place. Many students didn’t have cars, so it was a handy convenience,” said Bill Greene, class of 1968. “It must have been there for a hundred years.”
Jaime Clark, a UI alumna since 2003 and former Perch employee, recalls a few owners during her stay at the university, tossing out the names Brandy, Randy and Walt. Others Vandals struggle to remember who the owner was at the time, and simply refer to them as the man or woman who ran the Perch.
“The Perch had a family feel,” Clark said. “Regulars would send in pictures to decorate the walls.”
The memories related to the personal Perch experience are varied, but share a sense of nostalgia by those who reminisce. People recall the Perch as a barbershop, produce vendor, soda shop, music department hot spot and a tucked-away grocery store.
While the Perch has sold alcohol since at least the late ’80s, they acquired the ability to serve alcohol for on-site consumption in the last decade.
Students capitalized on the convenience of a competitively-priced, on-campus watering hole. Paramjit Singh, current Perch owner, estimated 200 people visit The Perch during Vandal football home games.
“They started serving beer in 2004, maybe 2003. It was a big deal when you could buy beer at The Perch and drink it there,” Kornelis said. “I think my credit is still bad, because of my time at The Perch.”
Under a previous owner, The Perch was allowed to serve alcohol for on-site consumption under a restaurant endorsement by the Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), a division of the Idaho State Police. As part of the endorsement, The Perch was responsible for showing that at least 40 percent of their total revenue came from food sales.
The restaurant endorsement excused The Perch from a 1978 state code that prohibits a bar from operating within 300 feet of a church or place of worship. The Perch is located within 300 feet of two places of worship — the Campus Christian Center and the Institute of Religion owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The ABC was in the process of revoking the endorsement for not meeting the 40 percent mark when the previous owner sold the establishment.
To still be able to operate the bar, Singh applied for a waiver from the 1978 state code through the city that would have allowed The Perch to serve alcohol for on-site consumption.
At a Moscow city council meeting this summer, the city council decided to not issue a waiver for The Perch. It was a unanimous decision.
In an effort to shape the business into more of a restaurant and less of a bar, Singh is installing cooking machinery to meet the 40 percent mark and regain the restaurant endorsement.
In the meantime, Singh said he attracts around a hundred customers on weekend nights at The Perch 2, a sister bar which he recently opened on 6th Street across from The Ale House. The original Perch continues to sell pre-packaged beer and wine.
Although the ability to drink on-site is no longer a hallmark of The Perch — for the time being — some things remain the same.
Still, one sentiment is shared by many of those who rested their wings on the safety of The Perch.
“Oh The Perch?” Clark said. “I love that place.”