An oxymoron is not a person, but a contrast in terms. Saying someone is “pretty ugly” would be a word sample of an oxymoron. A bar that sells no liquor would also qualify. 

Today, one sees the oxymoronic term “Trendy Dive Bar” to describe a hole in the wall drinking establishment with character; a place that is so out of style it is suddenly stylish. Think: Everything old is new again.

Here is Long Beach, California, if you have been in the city for any length of time you will come across t-shirts worn by young and old alike that are themselves as clothing new or old. However, they all feature the same timeless logo of a foamy, full beer goblet and the words “Joe Josts, Long Beach.”

If you are driving along Anaheim Street in the city and traveling over 25 mph, you will undoubtedly pass Joe Josts before you ever see it. The tiny tavern is the kind of hole-in-the-wall that you will never find unless you are actively looking for it. But once you have discovered it, the place indelibly stays with you forever for reasons truly vague and unfathomable. 

Joe Josts exists as far more than a beer bar. It is an institution. It is the oldest continuously operating beer bar west of the Mississippi. Yes, it really was built by a Hungarian immigrant named Joe Jost in 1924.  

Why should that date be of importance? It was during Prohibition. How does a bar survive when there is no liquor to sell? He sold candy, ice cream and cigarettes, along with other sundry items and Eastside Near Beer. For the gamesmen, billiards and poker were played in the back. He operated the place as a combination barber shop/pool and poker emporium. And yes, he was a barber by trade. 

Various sundry items continued to be sold: corn cob pipes, razor blades, headache remedies, etc. When prohibition was repealed, Joe started to serve cold beer in addition to some sandwiches. He then invented a much beloved “Lunch Special" along with pickled eggs

Joe Josts is located at it original site at 2803 Anaheim Street in Long Beach, California. 

During that time Mr. Jost also sold fresh eggs and slab bacon to go. Soon thereafter, the Barbering Commission (yes, there is always a government agency to meddle, even in barbering and even in the 1920's) informed Joe that it was much too dangerous to cut hair where alcohol was served and consumed. So, out went the barber chairs and in booths, now featuring generations of carved in engravings by clients through the ages. 

Joe was a tenacious worker and managed to cut costs during the Depression years by using his business savvy. Electricity costs were high, so he turned the lights off and turned them on again when he heard potential customers in approaching traffic. 

Joe is long passed and a third generation now operates the landmark little dive he founded. It is a place quietly revered by both drinkers and teetotalers alike. It’s fans are legion and worldwide. The t-shirts are everywhere. 

And “trendy dive bars” may come and go, but since 1924, when liquor was illegal, Joe Josts has been and will always remain, a beloved institution. 

One can buy a drink anywhere, but where you buy that drink is often the point. 

This is one of the key tenants of American Bars. If you own a bar, perhaps you may wish to look beyond trendy and seek to become legendary.