There is a new and colorful addition to Voodoo Brewing Company in downtown Erie. It’s called Barks & Brews.

“I like to say we’re not a dog bar, we’re a dog park with a bar,” said owner Ashley Jang.

She used to live in Cleveland. When she moved back to Erie, she was looking for somewhere to take Hamilton, her 3-year-old lab.

This dog park will be different than others here.

“Everything is kind of just like a quick little dog park where you can hang out with your dog, but there’s really not much else to do,” she said. 

But there will be more to do at Barks & Brews. They’ll have events, vendors, and parties.

“Bark rangers” will be hired to watch people’s dogs while they relax and get drinks.

Customers at VooDoo will be able to visit the park, too.

“It’s more than just a dog park,” she said. “It’s definitely a place where everybody can hang out and have fun.”   

She said creating this business has been a great distraction.

She and her husband have had to rebuild their lives after a man crashed into their house in Millcreek last year.

“This has been a labor of love for me. It’s basically all I had left,” she said.

Their new house is just blocks away from the new business.

“My life, in general, has not been paved with gold and easy. I’m definitely a person [who] learns that things happen for you, not to you,” she said. 

She’s hoping this space will help other businesses grow, too.

They’re going to have an “Opening Paw-ty” Saturday. They will officially open for business Sunday.

More information is available here.