Geek bar Taproom-120 in Gilbert is closing. How to visit one last time

Taproom-120 in Gilbert is about to tap out. Owners of the retro-themed bar, geek hangout and music venue near Power and Warner roads announced Friday on social media that it will close after a pair of punk and metal shows this weekend, ending its run after more than two years in business.

In a Facebook post, Taproom-120 co-owner Matt Poltash announced the bar's closure, stating that proceeds from Sunday's locals-only metal show — originally intended to help keep it afloat — won't be enough to save it.

“Sunday’s festivities (were) supposed to be a ‘Save the Taproom' event,” Poltash wrote. “Honestly, the donations are not going to keep the doors open.”

The news marks the end of one of the East Valley’s more unique bars, which over the past two years had become a hub for geek culture and punk rock.

A ‘Punk Rock "Cheers"’

Taproom-120 was opened in December 2022 by Poltash and his then-business partners Maegann and Jason Yarbrough. The bar’s geeky bent was reflected in its name, which Poltash tells Phoenix New Times was inspired by old-school video cassettes.

“It's basically riffing off of old T-120 VHS tapes,” Poltash says. “We wanted it to have a retro vintage kind of vibe to it to bring you back to your childhood and the '80s and '90s. And it kind of grew from there.”

Poltash says they recognized a need for a craft beer joint in that corner of the Valley, particularly one that was independently owned.

“If you look at Power Road in general, there's a lot chain and franchise restaurants. There’s no craft beer-specific bars between (U.S. Highway) 60 and the (Loop) 202,” he says. “We were hoping to gather those folks looking for something different from the norm and from all the franchises and chains in that area.”

According to Poltash — a veteran of East Valley bars like The Casual Pint in Chandler and Mesa’s Beer Research Institute — they envisioned Taproom-120 as more than just a craft beer spot.

“We really wanted it to be different,” he says. Over the past two years, Taproom-120 featured a wide range of activities, geeky and otherwise. In 2023, Taproom-120 provided space for Outpost Kodelia, a selection of pinball games and arcade classics curated by local collectors Kaydee and Olivia Helm.

Poltash and his wife, Rae Kellough, who bought out the Yarbroughs, hosted everything from Arizona Wrestling Federation matches in the parking lot to local horror fandom events like Scaredycon.

"We've had marketplace events that supported the goth, horror and alternative communities. We've even had tattoo artists come in doing flash tattoos,” Poltash says. “We did everything we could to support the alternative communities in a very unorthodox place.”

That includes featuring local punk and ska bands on its indoor stage, a rarity in a largely conservative East Valley suburb like Gilbert. (Taproom-120 even used it as a selling point, hence its slogan: “Gilbert's Punk Rock ‘Cheers.’”)

“There are (many) people who identify as punk and have moved out to the East Valley, but there isn’t much of a punk movement out here,” Poltash says. “So we've been fortunate over these past couple of years to have parents bring their kids here to their first punk, ska and hardcore shows in a very safe environment. So it's been kind of uplifting for us.”

‘We’ve done everything we can to keep the doors open’

Despite support from local geeks, goths and punks, Poltash says Taproom-120 struggled to survive. The Power and Warner intersection has seen major redevelopment in recent years due to the arrival of Mesa’s Cannon Beach, the $310 million retail and entertainment complex that includes Revel Surf water park.

Poltash had hoped Taproom-120 would benefit from the traffic overflow from Cannon Beach and Revel Surf, but construction delays with both projects left the bar high and dry.

"With this area, there were so much potential,” Poltash says. “Unfortunately, Canon Beach and Revel Surf were supposed to open two years ago and they're just barely getting going now. All the warehouses just east of us have been built for over a year but have few tenants. So this area did not develop fast enough and we ran out of resources.”

Taproom-120 has dealt with other setbacks. Earlier this year, Outpost Kodelia split off to launch its own standalone location in Chandler. Poltash says, like other Valley bars, they’ve also had to endure inflation and other financial woes afflicting local nightlife.

"Unfortunately, our industry is not doing the best right now," he says. "We’ve done everything we can to keep the doors open as long as we could."

In February, Poltash launched a GoFundMe campaign to save Taproom-120, raising over $4,100 in donations. According to the bar's Facebook, unspecified issues with transferring the money prevented its use and Poltash is reportedly working with GoFundMe to issue refunds.

He declined to comment on the matter or specify why Taproom-120 was unable to use the funds.

Poltash says he hopes Taproom-120’s final weekend will be memorable. Saturday’s lineup will be headlined by Mexico-based punk band La Última Barricada, while Sunday’s show will feature 10 local rock and metal bands.

“We're going out with a bang,” Poltash says.