Jody Bowen is grateful to Terry O’Rourke and Colin Dalton, owners of the Rock House, for taking a chance on her idea two summers ago, and helping her turn a corner of The Rock House on George St. into The Geek Bar.

So are a lot of people in St. John’s. The following she has built has been instrumental in her move to larger (much, much larger ) digs in the Reluctant Chef/Vinyl Room’s old home on 290 Duckworth.

“This bar is built by the community,” Bowen tells me. From help with lighting, to some very cool décor donations, the family she’s built around proudly embracing of all that is geeky is doing everything they can to support the ambitious move.

She and manager Geoff Smith may have a lot of room to fill with cool stuff, but the two have enough ideas and enthusiasm to handle it. They will re-open in their new space the first weekend of December, and here are four reasons you really need to visit.

  • Dedicated theme rooms. There’s a special lair for Dungeons and Dragons play, with a team of six Dungeon Masters at the ready, a library with over two thousand books, and a Harry Potter Great Hall. Oh, and there’s also a bar if all the rest isn’t enough.
  • Craft beer and good whiskey. The bar’s clientele has spoken, and what they’ve said is that they want craft beer. Jody herself enjoys whiskey, and the bar will be hosting a Women and Whiskey group for ladies to spend some quality time together discussing fine spirits.
  • Games and Crafts. Hundreds of games, from board games to video games, even Lego. Plus crafts kits from local businesses like Fabric Merchant and Cast on Cast Off, that set you up to knit or quilt while enjoying your pint. Many knitters are already familiar with Knit Night at the Geek Bar.
  • Goodwill runs high amongst geeks. The Geek Bar is a great place to make friends. “Everyone is a geek about something”, Jody says, and her goal is to provide a relaxed, inclusive place where all may comfortably let their geek flag fly.