As guests head inside Lexington’s newest attraction, they’re greeted by a narrow set of steps below a sign reading “Entrance to Speakeasy,” along with exposed brick walls, a gleaming wood bar and a dimly lit seating area filled with leather couches, tables and candles. 

The public opening follows a series of soft openings beginning Feb. 5. Only members of an exclusive guest list were able to attend the soft openings. 

Members of the Washington and Lee community have already flocked to the bar since its official opening. The university’s Women Law Students Organization held an International Women’s Day trivia night at SkyBar March 8. And the bar was packed Saturday night with students and adults alike. 

Black alumni celebrating the Black Ball’s 50th anniversary also stopped by SkyBar during the weekend of March 4. 

The bar is part-owned and managed by Trevor Stores, a Black entrepreneur and former bartender at the Southern Inn. 

Stores said he took classes with the Walker Program, a mentorship program in Lexington meant to guide people of color through the process of starting their own small businesses. 

He said he was initially connected to the business venture by Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman, who recognized Stores’s talents at the Southern Inn and gauged Stores’s interest in starting something new. 

Stores said he eventually wants to channel the speakeasy vibe of the bar further with a “secret society,” which will offer its members discounts and special events. 

Even SkyBar’s Instagram is dedicated to a secretive, speakeasy-like aesthetic, with most posts sharing brief messages written in small, lowercase white cursive set against a black background—all set to hip-hop music. 

SkyBar is currently open Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Attendance is limited to those 21 and over. 

Read more about Lexington’s highly anticipated business in our next edition.