New bar boosts Bonduel’s spirits

For every guy who ever thought that opening his own bar would be fun, Kim Heindel is living the dream.

The 45-year-old entrepreneur has joined with two longtime friends to bring Good Vibes Bar & Grill to downtown Bonduel.

The sports-themed establishment is opening Sunday with five big-screen TVs for customers to enjoy the Sunday night game between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.

Good Vibes also will celebrate local sports heroes and treat customers to frequent live music performances, in an environment that Heindel and his partners hope will entice area residents to relax and have fun.

Heindel said the tavern’s opening is the realization of a dream for him and his old buddies Dave LaBerge and Ben Leiker.

“We talked about it for years,” Heindel said, “and we finally decided to do it.”

Bonduel civic leaders are applauding Good Vibes for taking over a vacant storefront at 109 N. Cecil St. and giving consumers a new reason to patronize the village’s downtown shopping district.

Bill Kolaske, president of the Bonduel Area Chamber of Commerce, said he is particularly excited that the new bar and grill will focus on sports heroes from Bonduel and the surrounding area.

Kolaske predicted that the locally based theme would draw big crowds.

“It’s a small hometown community,” he said. “People hopefully are anxious to support those kinds of things.”

Good Vibes, which will open at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, will feature eight beers on tap, including one from the Stone Cellar microbrewery in Appleton. The kitchen will serve up a variety of burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.

A stage for live musical performances will showcase entertainment ranging from country music to rock music and more.

Roxanne Tilleson, who owns The Rustic Shed home decor shop next door, said she is looking forward to having Good Vibes bring new traffic to the downtown area. Tilleson said passersby have been peeking inside the tavern’s windows, waiting for it to open.

“Everybody’s going to have to go check it out,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll be a nice addition to the community.”

Heindel and his partners spent most of the summer remodeling the property, which last housed a pet grooming business. They repainted the exterior and interior, installed new flooring, built a 34-foot-long bar, and assembled furnishings to create the perfect atmosphere.

Heindel, who lives in Bonduel, said he enjoys the small community and he wanted to open a bar that townsfolk could embrace as their own special place.

For a theme, he and his friends-turned-business partners decided to highlight their own favorite things: sports and music. When a family member suggested the name Good Vibes, the partners agreed that it reflected the essence of what they were trying to achieve.

Said Heindel: “It gave it a real positive feeling.”