It was a shared love for craft beer that led Rob and Amy Baker to discover Richardson was missing their favorite type of bar.

“One night, I was just running around the different craft brew places drinking beer, and I was like, ‘We need a growler bar in Richardson,’” Rob said.

At growler bars, customers can fill a 65-ounce container, known as a growler, with draft beer. The growler is then sealed with a cap so the customer can take it to-go. This allows people to enjoy beer at home that may not be sold in stores or brewed locally, Rob explained.

The business also incorporates Rob’s passion for building instruments, a hobby he discovered in 2003 after buying his daughter a guitar on eBay. Unimpressed with the quality of the guitar, he learned to strip and repaint its exterior. His interest in building instruments continued to grow and eventually became part of his vision for Guitars & Growlers.

Before they opened the business in 2017, Rob was a creative director in the marketing industry, and Amy was working in the JJ Pearce High School athletic department. The city of Richardson requires bars to serve food, so they teamed up with longtime friend and restaurant co-owner Susan Elbedeiwy to create a menu that compliments craft beer, featuring items such as deli-style subs and paninis. They later added flatbread pizzas, which quickly became a customer favorite.

The craft beer selection features seasonal brews as well as new, smaller breweries the Bakers want to promote. Rob said they also take customer requests.

In addition to beer, the bar also offers a selection of wine and ciders as well as nonalcoholic beverages.

Rob said it was important to him to promote local musicians. At any given time, the work of seven or eight local instrument builders is available for purchase.

The Bakers try to have an event or musician at the restaurant every night of the week, Amy said. They offer music bingo on Mondays, trivia on Tuesdays and open mic nights on Wednesdays. Local musicians perform Thursday through Saturday.

Rob says the combination of handcrafted instruments, craft beer and good food is what makes Guitars & Growlers unique.

“[Mix] those three elements and you have got someplace that nobody’s really experienced,” he said.