Ashton Hoop, owner of mobile bartending service Hops and Bubbles and the Hoop and Barrel bar in Midland, said their business has grown with just using word of mouth advertising from their regulars.
“We did get lucky that we started out fairly strong aside from our first brunch. Our first brunch did not go as planned and you know we got some negative reviews,” said Ryan Hooper on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. “Anybody who said anything nice was being polite.”
“It's not just one person, it's the whole,” explained Ashton. “Everybody kind of helps bring that clientele and the regulars just keep coming back because of everyone there. So it's not just me or him, it's everyone that's working there.”
Husband and wife duo Ryan and Ashton Hooper started Hops and Bubbles, a mobile bartending service, in 2020. The service is available for weddings or other events. They were recently able to open Hoop and Barrel in Midland, a brick and mortar extension of their business focused on tapas and craft cocktails.
Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top business and upcoming live events happening in the area.
The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.