Whiskey & Wares needs your help!

Whiskey & Wares needs your help! The pandemic has been tough for all of us, but this fourth wave is a dark time.With vaccines arriving and the community following safety guidelines - we are slowly seeing a light breaking through the horizon.

Whiskey & Wares was Saigon’s first dive cocktail bar & lounge. We became a staple in the community and a safe place for anyone that walked through the door. Our mission was if you walked into Whiskey & Wares you always left happier than when you arrived. We worked hard to become a place that everyone loved and thrived on word of mouth reviews. We have felt the pain of this 4th wave and are calling on friends and family alike to help us out of these dire consequences.

Derek & Wan had a dream of bringing people together regardless of where you’re from, age, background, or any other labels people throw at you. Whiskey & Wares is a place for your chosen family to mingle and forget your troubles. When we opened our doors in 2016, we challenged the mainstream perception of “what a bar” is in Saigon. We stood out from our fellow peers by offering ambitious cocktail recipes and craft beers at affordable prices adjacent to Bui Vien - we kept hearing our concept would fail. We persevered, every year growing stronger and our community thriving. Five years and two large renovations, we became proof of following your heart and have seen dive cocktail bars soar in popularity in Saigon. Being able to influence and help the expanding diverse scene in Saigon was a cherry on top! We love seeing people embracing our environment, making new friends, and more importantly, seeing people evolve into the best version of themselves. In a city like Saigon where everyone’s always busy and stressed it's easy to feel lonely. We know as soon as you walk through the door that feeling melts away. We have worked tirelessly over the years to build this incredible community, and can’t imagine our lives or Saigon without it.

Last year when Covid-19 hit, the first lockdown was difficult. We hated not getting to spend time with our community or make amazing memories along the way, but we were still working within our means. We used our savings hoping to come out better on the other side with expansion & improvements and it worked!

We were very excited to get back to work, and felt optimistic about opening again. We revealed a new expanded upstairs patio and lounge, which were an instant hit for groups hanging out and picking their own music. The upstairs expansion gave more room for regulars and new patrons to hang with friends, making new ones along the way. Downstairs we upgraded our bar top with more comfortable seating allowing true cocktail lovers to try our unique one of a kind cocktails, while chatting with Derek and catching Wan for a brief second while he keeps everything running smoothly.

Unfortunately, It wasn't long until we were in lockdown again. We braced ourselves for the worse but could not have predicted the intensity of this fourth wave. We have built a great relationship with our landlord but they are feeling pressure as well. Without a rent reduction and lockdown extensions,we have run through our reserves and are looking for your support financially to keep this magical spot alive.

Our dream is to remain a part of the Saigon fabric for years to come. We are asking for your help so we can succeed and celebrate our 5 YEAR BIRTHDAY. We will be using your generous contributions to offset the costs of rent and have stellar awards for your kindness. All funds raised will be used to cover ongoing expenses. Goals are listed below but if the community speaks and donates we have upgrades planned as well.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read Whiskey & Ware’s story. Any donations will help us remember that we’re not alone in all of this, and that our bar is a special place to so many. Here’s to keeping Saigons’s small and special businesses open after all this.

THANK YOU to all the community!

GOALS

$3,500 -> Help offset of being closed for so many months and make it to open again

$4,500 -> To buy 3 new standing tables downstairs so more people can enjoy the first floor

$6,800 -> Upgrading the upstairs lighting add additional bench on patio