Ace of Trades: Stacey Drennen stopped wishing and made Huck’s Tavern a reality
COSHOCTON – Growing up, she had a plan. And for a while, she followed it. Then things changed.
“When I was a kid,” recalled Stacey Drennen, “I thought for sure I would live in a big city and work in the communications field or for the San Francisco 49ers. My dad had a friend who worked for the 49ers, so it just seemed perfect since I’m a football fan – although I’m a diehard Browns fan.”
Fast forward.
“Before having children, I worked for two different TV and radio stations,” she continued. “One in their continuity department and another as a sales executive. Once I had children, I was fortunate enough to get to stay home.”
Still, she added, “I’ve always been interested in customer service. I was a bartender and waitress all through college and I absolutely loved those jobs.”
That passion ultimately led to where she is today. Drennen now owns and operates Huck’s Tavern.
“My husband and I have always enjoyed discovering different small ‘dive bars,’” she said. “And I’ve always half-jokingly said I would love to have one. Then a couple of years ago, the opportunity presented itself and I thought, ‘If not now, never.’ So I jumped in.”
“I oversee the day-to-day operations,” she explained, “but I’m very fortunate to have an amazing team that really keeps things going.”
Huck’s Tavern, by the way, was named after her dog.
“Huck was our beloved chocolate lab who we lost a few years ago,” she said. “I always say everyone has that one special dog, but he really was special. So I decided to name the tavern after him.”
Drennen grew up in Sebring, Ohio, a village in the Youngstown-Warren area. She graduated from Sebring McKinley High School in 1987 and earned a communications degree from Kent State in 1991.
Then in time came Huck’s Tavern.
“I love our town so much,” Drennen said, “and for many years we wished Coshocton had a place to go and just grab a drink after work, or sit and watch a game, or meet up with a group of friends and just hang out. But it became clear just wishing it true wasn’t going to make it happen.
“So,” she summed, “I decided to build it myself.”
“When you go to Huck’s,” assessed Lanny Spaulding, a Roscoe Village resident and executive director of Our Town Coshocton, “you enter a laid-back experience with great food and beverage in a chic historic area of Coshocton. It casts a wide net in accommodating all people and it’s always a bonus when Stacey is there as well.
“It’s one of my favorite places to enjoy personally,” Spaulding concluded, “but also host out of town visitors to Coshocton. Whether they be from Columbus, New York or a rural community, they always leave Huck’s satisfied and wanting to visit again. Stacey did that.”
Huck’s Tavern is located at 365 N Whitewoman St. in Coshocton. For more information, call 740-295-9971 or look on Facebook.
About the series
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at ctnews@coshoctontribune.com.