The Ranger Liquor Store and Bar is forging the trail in terms of cleanliness and safety during these times of increased need. 

Jeff Hasse, part owner of the Ranger, holds a unique ability to be able to provide the cleanest establishment possible. Owning a cleaning and restoration business, Hasse has access to both the materials and know-how to provide top notch cleanliness and disease spread preventative measures. “We actually have a lot of unique advantages that a lot of people wouldn’t have,” says Hasse. 

“We’ve been able to benefit from that. I’ve got a thermal fogging machine, so we’ve got disinfectant into the store, into the bar, into the bathrooms on a regular basis. It’s not a piece of equipment a lot of people would have, they’re hard to come by these days.”

The Ranger views the state and CDC guidelines on cleanliness and business operation as a minimum, with their own expectations set much higher. “We’re going over and above, we’re not trying to meet the requirements, we’re trying to be the safest place we can possibly be.”

Hasse points out a medium shaped red box underneath the shuffleboard table, housing to a high powered air filtration system. “It cleans the air in the bar within 15 minutes. Every 15 minutes it’s constantly cleaning. With that thing running, it’s a two stage HEPA filter. It just moves an incredible amount of air.” says Hasse. “We just got our entire air conditioning system cleaned and serviced, all new filters in that. You know, so we’re doing everything we possibly can.”

During recent shutdowns, the Ranger was able to leverage their business model as a way to keep all of their employees employed. Through being able to keep the liquor store portion open and utilizing employees as delivery drivers, no one was let go. “This is what we do. We have roughly 15 employees that count on the Ranger to pay their mortgage, pay their rent, feed their family. I can’t just shut down. I can be super safe about it.”

The Ranger has been in the process of doing some upgrades, the most visible being the vibrant new neon sign. Much care is being taken to balance cosmetic and structural updates with the historicity of the establishment, which is speculated to be around 100 years old. Hasse says to stay tuned, as further updates will be happening. 

Hasse fully acknowledges that a wide variety of opinions exist on the opening or operating of businesses in the present day. “From my perspective, I’d love to hear feedback. If there’s something that we’re doing or not doing, just let us know. We can’t accommodate everyone’s wishes, but we try to be safe, we try to be smart. We welcome constructive criticism and feedback, good or bad.”

The Ranger Liquor Store and Bar is currently open for regular hours in the liquor store, bar, and liquor delivery departments. Further details and updates can be found at their Facebook page, here.