Asylum opens in downtown Cheney

He's a mason by trade, in recent years an Information Technology guy, and most recently a consultant.

And now Julius Tepp can add bar owner to his resume.

Tepp, 57, the new owner of the old Goofy's in Cheney, admits he never intended on owning a bar. But when his wife, Oksana, told him, "You need a project," and his son, Ignatius, let him know the bar was for sale, Tepp's first reaction was, "Yeah, so?"

When he started checking into it he determined that yes, he could make it work. "It needed some TLC for sure," Tepp said.

The "project" is coming together nicely, Tepp said recently. He's renamed the place Asylum, but is working to bring back some of the things that made Goofys one of the signature bars in the area in the 1970s. Spokane also had a Goofy's on Browne Street.

"What I had envisioned six months ago when I bought the place is starting to come together," Tepp said. "The vision is starting to become more of a reality."

The name, Tepp explained, is a natural double entendre. The modern meaning is sanctuary or refuge while "The archaic meaning is insane asylum," he said.

On one hand, "We want this place to be everybody's sanctuary or refuge," Tepp said. But also "feel free to get a little crazy, we are a bar."

Located in an area where there is plenty of competition, Tepp said, "We're not going to do anything that anybody else is doing. That's one thing I swore from day-one."

Finding his bar's niche is a work-in-progress, he said.

While the old name is gone, Tepp, plans to bring back some of the familiar feel on the inside of the establishment by opening the basement and then the loft. But those will all come at a later date.

The venture is fully a family affair. Tepp's daughter, Darcy, has moved from Missoula and will become the manager. And every one of the family's six children have lent their time and sweat to the renovation.

The father-son team of Steve and Josh Baldwin were the former owners of Goofy's.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].