Mark and Michele Muth, two devoted fitness buffs, add a little balance to their lives with the purchase of a popular downtown bar.
By Dawn Nolan
HQ 124 | WINTER 2024
Fitness and beer. They seem like two completely opposite interests. Certainly, Mark Muth, a personal trainer and avid triathlete, admits that he has gotten some funny looks when he talks about his enjoyment of both — but he doesn’t mind.
“It’s about balance, right?” he asks with a chuckle. “You have to work it off. And when you compete, it’s always nice to look forward to a finisher beer.”
Muth and his wife Michele, another fitness enthusiast who works as the director of the Marshall Recreation Center and teaches classes at Brown Dog Yoga, are the new owners of The Jockey Club, a decade-old bar in downtown Huntington.
“We wanted to step outside of our comfort zone and take a chance,” explains Mark. “And [the bar] was well-established. The previous owners had done a great job of laying the groundwork for us to come in pretty quick and be successful.”
Located in the historic Frederick Building across from the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, The Jockey Club was opened in 2003 by Milca Rivera Vence and Alejandro Vence Valle, who now own Boots Spirits & Feed on Ninth Street. The Muths assumed ownership on July 1.
“There was no downtime in between,” recalls Michele. “They stopped on June 30, and we opened on July 1. We were in Norway for most of June for my brother’s wedding. So, that was a little stressful, trying to get things prepared while out of the country, but the transition was pretty smooth. We had a nice soft opening. It was a very, very good day.”
A New Jersey native, Michele spent her young adulthood in Norway with her mom and summers on the Jersey Shore with her dad after her parents divorced.
“My mom is half Norwegian; my grandfather was born there,” she says. “We’re very connected to where we come from. There’s even a Norwegian flag that hangs here in the bar.”
After finding information about Marshall University online, she moved to the United States and started her college education in Huntington in the fall of 1999.
“I hadn’t lived in the States as an adult,” she says.
Michele and Mark met as classmates at Marshall. They both earned their degrees and went on to get married in 2003. They have two children, Maren and Henrik.
Michele has worked at the Marshall Recreation Center for 12 years — the last four as its director. Mark is also employed at the Rec Center as the lead personal trainer. He spent a significant portion of his early career in sales for his family’s hardwood lumber business, Muth Lumber Company, before it was sold in 2018. This prompted the couple to move to Norway for about a year. While Mark was waiting for his green card, he studied for his personal training exam and took jobs at a gym and a brewery. He started out cleaning and doing other odd jobs before he was offered a brewer position.
“Michele and I, we both enjoy beer and brewing, and we had done some of that in a friend’s basement before,” explains Mark. “So, I was really happy to get that job.”
The Muths returned to Huntington when Michele was offered her current position. Mark took a job at Taps at Heritage while building up his personal training client base. It was there he further expanded his knowledge of craft beer and learned how to make cocktails.
“The old fashioned is my favorite, and it’s also our biggest seller here,” he says.
According to Michele, the couple’s path to becoming the new owners of The Jockey Club started when Mark went on a bike ride with the previous owner. After several long follow-up conversations, they bought the business.
“Both of our fathers are very entrepreneurial [Michele’s owns a used car dealership], and it was something that we both always wanted to accomplish,” she explains.
The shared dream and their individual experiences make them a great team. Michele takes care of the business side of the bar, while Mark focuses on the day-to-day operations.
“He’s got his role, and I’ve got mine,” Michele says. “We each do what we’re good at.”
Since taking ownership, the Muths have made some updates to The Jockey Club’s branding and significant changes to the menu. They’ve kept some of the core cocktails, such as the mojito and caipirinha, while expanding the number of other liquors like bourbons and tequilas. They’ve also added craft beer, gluten-free beer, some wine and even “zero-proof” drinks.
“The previous owners had a lot of South America-influenced cocktails, so there was a lot of rum, and that was big,” explains Mark. “I just wanted to expand our selection and add more variety.
“I think we are lucky to have the staff that we have,” he adds. “Without them, we couldn’t do this.”
Mark and Michele are also focusing on creating seasonal drink menus. The winter ones, for example, include a Rosemary Pear Martini, Apple Butter Old Fashioned, Eggnog White Russian and Rosemerry Gin-gle Fizz.
Customers can join the Cocktail Club, where they will receive two drinks of choice each month, a 10% discount on every tab and a custom-made coaster for a monthly fee of $50.
Another area of the business that is a priority for the Muths is hosting events. So far, The Jockey Club has held a Prohibition Repeal Party, Festivus Celebration and Hot Flashes Dance Party. They are, of course, making plans for the upcoming Kentucky Derby and want to hold a cocktail mixology class.
“That’s probably where most of the changes are — events. We are trying to set ourselves apart a little,” says Michele. “We’re thinking of things that will appeal to those more in our age group.”
So far, it seems that the Muths have made the right moves.
“We’ve seen so much support from the people we know and the community in general,” says Michele. “It’s been fantastic.”
As any business owner can attest, incorporating a new venture into an already full schedule can be a challenge, but the Muths are making it work.
“We come in every Sunday and clean as a family, and we take pride in how it looks,” says Michele. “Our son helps restock, he knows where everything goes — and he can’t wait until he’s old enough to barback. Our daughter helps when she’s home from college. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s a real labor of love.”
“I don’t know that we’re not going to retire on this,” adds Mark. “But it’s fun, and we’re passionate about it.”
Current business hours are 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call (304) 634-7624 or visit thejockeyclubwv.com for more information.
