The Tenant

Voodoo Cellar Boise is a Voodoo themed sports and games pub that recently opened for business. This unique pub is the newest tenant of The Adelmann Building in downtown Boise, Idaho. They serve a variety of beer and wine options including 12 beers on tap, several of which are local or from the Pacific Northwest. They also have a sake cocktail menu. Along with a wide drink selection, the pub is also a great environment for watching sports, playing games, and just hanging out. While food isn’t served, pub-goers are welcome to bring their own or order using Door Dash or other food delivery services.

The New Orleans theme is emphasized with elegant and luxurious, yet spooky voodoo décor and a “purple glow” rather than typical lighting. Their location, in the basement of the Adelmann, also helps to establish the theme. According to Hermansen, the pub has downtown Boise’s biggest TV, 85 inches with 8K resolution, to watch sporting events as well as a jukebox and bar games to add to the overall experience of visiting the pub. They sell merchandise have theme nights including Terror Tuesdays, where they play horror movies every Tuesday night. To learn more about what is going on at Voodoo Cellar Boise check out their website.

Background

Dave Hermansen and Andrew (“Jimmy”) Eskelsen are the owners and operators of Voodoo Cellar Boise. Hermansen has been an entrepreneur for 25 years. and has been involved in hundreds of specialty ecommerce brands. Through his online business, StoreCoach.com, he has been involved with many businesses and has helped many brands with their ecommerce platforms. Starting businesses runs in the family, Hermansen has started businesses with two of his children (SabraPizza.com and BoiseGemCo.com) and is currently working with his brother-in-law, Eskelsen, on this project.

Eskelsen has almost 20 years of experience in the restaurant and bar industries including in management roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in business accounting and his main roles at Voodoo Cellar Boise include accounting and management. Hermansen’s main roles for this business include visionary and marketing. Together the two complement each other and tackle the various demands of running a business. Hermansen and Eskelsen have talked about opening a pub for 13 years, making this opening even more significant. Their vision is to create the type of place they would want to watch football and basketball games.

When asked about any advice for starting and operating businesses, Hermansen mentioned two main principles he has learned over his many years of experience. Hermansen said, “Choose a project or two you’re most passionate about and give them your all,” as opposed to, “Spreading yourself too thin.” He also stressed the importance of creating a detailed plan and putting it down on paper.

Partnership

In August of 2022 Voodoo Cellar Boise signed a five-year lease at the Adelmann Building. The vision for this business was always the Voodoo New Orleans style and so when the two first discovered the space they knew it would be a perfect fit. “As soon as we walked through that space for the first time, we were like, ‘this is it,’” Hermansen said. The prior tenant, Space Bar, had completely cleared out the space so shortly after signing the lease, the Voodoo Cellar Boise owners began renovations to see their vision come to light. The renovations have allowed them to add interior design elements to help achieve the desired style and sports pub functionality.