Tucked behind Connie’s Cakes in the Kingsley Building is Pursuit of Happiness — a chic cocktail bar with sparkling personality. You can find yummy munchies and a selection of beer and wine on the menu, but cocktails made with their titular brand of bubbles are the main attraction.
“So much of the craft movement, which I still love, is really kind of dark and serious,” said Wendy Wassink, owner of Pursuit of Happiness. “A lot of reasons people drink and get together; it’s light and celebratory. When I got into the market research, I saw there needed to be an affordable champagne product that tastes really great. That really is the ultimate lightheartedness.”
Champagne can be pricey, and Wassink didn’t want to make a product that felt exclusionary. Her goal was to create excellent bubbles that tasted just like champagne without the $80 price tag.
“I wanted to make a high-quality product that you can feel really great about serving or showing up to somebody’s house with at under $30,” Wassink said. “To be called champagne, it has to be from the Champagne region of France; that is why it’s so expensive. It’s such a small space of real estate, and then it has to be imported into the country and that adds a lot of costs. I found a company in New Mexico, and they make Gruet. They are a champagne-making family from France.
When I visited Pursuit of Happiness with a group of girlfriends this past summer, I was instantly smitten. It’s furnished with plants and bright, inviting décor that reminds of Southern California. Each design choice was thoughtfully made to create an experience that feels both elevated and approachable.
“When I saw this space, I knew it was the right space, just because of the industrial feeling of the brick and the concrete,” Wassink said. “That lack of pretense really appealed to me. Sometimes when people think of champagne or going out, it feels like you need to know a lot or be dressed up. To me, champagne and cocktails are an everyday thing. It was really important to me to make it accessible.”
Whatever your background, there’s a place for you at POH. I’ve seen couples on dates, a group of gals celebrating a wedding, and two guys catching up after clocking out.
“I wouldn’t say we’re focused on women, but we certainly are a place that makes women feel comfortable and safe,” Wassink said. “The one thing that I have felt here from day one is the championship of women coming in to support a woman-owned business. We have a great male clientele here too; that’s part of being inclusive. You are super welcome here, and you’re gonna fit in, and it’s a very friendly vibe.”
Wondering what to try? I loved their classic French 75, but “86º in In the Shade” has a delightful kick!
