Promises is Wonderfully Weird in Walker’s Point

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Promises is a new neighborhood bar and venue located at Sixth and National in the heart of Walker’s Point. Owned by longtime friends Joey Turbo and Casey Hughes, the bar hopes to enrich the area as a hub for all things entertainment as well as be a welcoming, caring space for all who come through. The bar has three rooms encompassing two stages, a covered patio, a TMNT arcade game, pinball, pull tabs, a pool table, a DJ booth and TVs to watch sports. Their menu features a variety of domestics, liquors, local craft beers on draft and non-alcoholic options to choose from. 

Turbo and Hughes have known each other for nearly a decade and play in rock and roll band Platinum Boys together. The conversation about eventually having their own bar was an early one in their friendship. Turbo explains, “When we met, we had a lot in common about things like music and sports. But we would also talk about one day having our own spot, and we talked about that before we even talked about starting a band. We thought that it would be when we were 50 or 60 or something (laughs), not right now. But it made sense to us; we always wanted to do it. We didn’t know it would actually ever happen but here we are.”

When deciding where the bar would be, Turbo and Hughes looked at a few different locations but Sixth and National was by far their favorite. Previously the space was Gibraltar and more recently Walker’s Point Music Hall. “We wanted somewhere that was centralized and represented Milwaukee,” Turbo said.

Making Promises

For the bar’s name they wanted something that could define itself. He elaborated, “You could hear the name and it could sound like a nail salon or a club or really anything. The name is pretty across the board as far as what it means. The promise that we can make is that we give a fuck and will continue to give a fuck. And if you give a fuck about what you’re doing, then I give a fuck about what you’re doing.”

The owners share operations mostly by way of the time of day; Hughes is more of the morning/afternoon guy while Turbo is the night guy. “Everything’s pretty well-balanced,” Turbo said. “Casey has his strong suits and I have my strong suits. Being friends for so long and spending so much time together the past few years, we kind of know where to jump in.”

As far as the bar’s decor goes it’s an eclectic mix of sports memorabilia, ornaments and locally made artwork. The carpeted creatures with whimsical backdrops adorning the walls are the work of artist Zelda RayGun while the murals of famous people (plus their good friend and bandmate Matt Pappas) wearing Promises jerseys are done by Harrison Colby.

“It looks the way it does because our friends somehow understand what the hell we’re saying when we give a general idea of what we were going for,” Turbo says. “When we had a conversation with Zelda, at no point did Casey or I say we wanted it to look a certain way. And they just crushed it…like, it was beyond what we could’ve asked for.

Dan Boville did the painting on the side of the bar wall and the painting above the bar. “God bless him for putting up with us,” Turbo says, laughing. “I had the idea of the people wearing Promises shirts and that’s when I hit up Harry and he really brought it to life; Matt’s obviously one of our best friends in the entire world so it was fun to make him a part of it. There’s a lot of other small stuff our friends helped with too—it was a full village that was a part of this.”

The bar’s opening week was the last week of July with their first concert on July 25 featuring local acts Kleaner, Scam Likely and Delicious Monsters plus Science Man from Buffalo, New York. “It was a really strange feeling,” Turbo reflects. “We were in here for almost a year working on stuff, and then when there were other people in here it felt as if someone was in your house or your bedroom (laughs).

“It was overwhelming in such a cool way. You never know what to expect; there could’ve been six people that showed up and there were definitely more people than that. It melted my heart. It was probably one of the coolest moments of my life. There were so many awesome folks there that could’ve gone anywhere; there’s a million bars in Milwaukee. For people to come out and support us meant a lot.”

“And our staff here … they’re incredible. They’re all friends of ours and that’s what puts it all together, from sound to bartenders to door people to cleaning people. What gets me going is when we’re slammin’ and jammin’ and there’s smiles on peoples’ faces that are working. Casey and I are both extremely grateful because we’d be absolutely in the weeds if it wasn’t for everyone here. They allow this place to be cool.”

Turbo shares the biggest thing he’s learned from this endeavor. “It’s been extremely humbling. Things move way slower than I anticipated. I have such a greater amount of respect for anyone who’s done something like this because you don’t think about it when you’re going from place to place. With the amount of work that it takes and the hiccups involved, you really have to want it. It’s not something you just decide to do and there it is right away. I didn’t quite understand all that at first. You can tell where there’s heart and where there’s not. But if you know you’re going to love what you do, then you’ve got it. ”

Whether you’re coming to watch a game, catch live music, sing karaoke or just have a drink with friends, Promises has it all in a wonderfully weird atmosphere. They’re open from 4 to close Monday-Friday and noon to close on weekends. Visit their Instagram @promisesmilwaukee and for inquiries, get in touch at promisesmilwaukee@gmail.com.