Jordyn Noennig

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jordon Bledsoe, 38, a California native and service industry worker for his entire adult life, traveled across North America looking for the perfect location to open his first bar, the Trailer Park Tavern.

He visited places like Vancouver, Canada; Cleveland, Ohio; New Orleans; Reno, Nev.; and Chicago.

Eventually, he stumbled upon the former Palm Tavern at 2989 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View.

"I hadn't been to Milwaukee prior to wanting to own a bar," Bledsoe said. Once he visited and did some research, he knew it was the perfect place to open his bar.

“Just Google Bay View. If it doesn’t scream 'this is where you should open a bar,' I don’t know what would," he said.

The description he referred to says, "young and trendy Bay View has a buzzing dining and bar scene, with diverse global restaurants and low-key pubs serving beer and craft cocktails."

Bledsoe's No. 1 requirement was that he could buy the building he would open his bar in, which was the main reason he looked outside his hometown of Redondo Beach, Calif.

"Being in the business for as long as I have, I've seen thriving bars go out of business because they didn’t get their lease renewed," he said. "Or they have a successful year and then rent is tripled."

Palm Tavern closed when Bledsoe bought the bar in February. He plans to open the Trailer Park Tavern sometime mid to late-May.

The trailer park idea

Bledsoe had the idea for the bar concept before he visited Bay View.

"That was the name, always," Bledsoe said. "What brought me out here is I wanted to open a bar, and Milwaukee is a bar town."

Bledsoe's idea of a trailer park is based on his family's manufactured home on the Colorado River in Arizona, and other mobile homes that are pulled around the country each summer for family vacations.

"It reminds me of growing up in the late '80s and summer road trips, vacationing and just all around good times," Bledsoe said. "People have asked if the name is degrading, but there's nothing degrading about the name."

The bar has images of mobile homes anywhere a patron would look. Other decor includes colored lights strung across the ceiling and framed records from the 1980s.

The bar also has a cozy corner where every inch of wall is covered by beer cans.

"It's my version of art," Bledsoe said. "I love the beer cans because I could tell you where each one came from."

Bledsoe said he wants the bar to just be a comfortable place for people to hang out, watch the games, and see their neighbors.

"It's just going to be your typical 'beer and a shot type' of place," he said. "We'll have a great happy hour and a bunch of local beers."

Once the bar opens in May, its regular schedule will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and noon to 2 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The bar's opening date will be announced on Instagram at @TrailerParkTavern.

Jordyn Noennig covers pop culture and entertainment in Milwaukee. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.