At Home In Houston County 2023

MAIN STREET BAR CRAFTS COCKTAILS FOR COMMUNITY CONNOISSEURS, BEYOND
A
local mother-son duo provides a unique outlet to
area nightlife with an emphasis on the visitor’s
experience — and you can find it down on Main
Street in Perry. Shannon Stricklen and Zach Bibbins
welcome all to come see them at Main Street Bar.
Stricklen, owner of the bar, said she grew up in Lowville, New
York, just 30 minutes from the Canadian border, working at a
nearby ski lodge bar where she learned the tricks of the trade.
She moved to Warner Robins in 1998 but has lived in Perry now
for four years. Before she and her husband, Jimmy, made the
move to live where they are now, her daughter played a role in a
show featured at Perry Players Community Theatre, inviting them
to see the show and check out the city.
“We were at the theatre so much, we decided to move down
here,” Stricklen said. “ … This was my dream that I was able to
do, my passion. I love throwing events and having parties at my
house, so this was just up my alley, just on a bigger scale.”
Zach Bibbins, Stricklen’s son and the bar general manager,
also brings bartending and liquor industry experience to
the table.
He began bartending in his early 20s
and saw work in a handful
of states during that
time, including
Missouri, Mississippi and upstate New York. For a time, he also
worked on the production side of the industry, making bourbon
for Woodford Reserve.
Bibbins said running the business alongside his mother is a pleasure.
“It’s not near as bad as people expect,” Bibbins said, chuckling.
“I was really lucky to be born with such a cool mom. I don’t
mind it one bit … [She’s] exactly what you’d want out of a
business partner, I’m just lucky to say mine is my mom.”
“I’ve got to say, I could not do this without my son, Zachary,”
Stricklen said. “He and I run this place together, and I could
not do it without him — his bourbon knowledge, his liquor
knowledge, my business side, my decorating side. But he is what
makes this place roll from week to week.”
Stricklen attended college and majored in commercial illustration
and design, adding that her experience there influenced the layout,
amenities and design elements sprinkled throughout the bar.
“I wanted to bring pieces of New York here and make it an
experience, for people to come do something that nobody else has
here in Perry,” Stricklen said.
The paint on the walls establishes a “dark and moody”
atmosphere, while the chandeliers floating above offer some
“shimmer” to the environment, “making women feel special as
well as men feel comfortable.”
Bibbins said Main Street
Bar provides a different
experience from
AT HOME IN HOUSTON COUNTY 71