GEM VILLAGE – The famed Billy Goat Saloon along U.S. Highway 160 – 2½ miles west of Bayfield – closed its doors in August. But it has made a quick return under a new name with familiar faces.
The Lost Goat Tavern is the Billy Goat Saloon’s spiritual successor. It opened its doors at noon Saturday to celebrate its grand opening.
Football played on a television mounted over an old stone fireplace as longtime friends and patrons of the watering hole poured in. But people weren’t paying attention to the game.
Patrons greeted one another with hearty cheers. Just about everyone appeared to know each other. Although the tavern was a little dimly lit, the mood was warm and bright. Workers and customers bantered like close friends or, what some called it, family.
Perched at the bar, partners and Billy Goat Saloon patrons of 27 years Troy and Diane Brady were having a grand time.
“We’re tickled. That’s why we’re here, man, it’s awesome,” Troy said. “We support it. We live nearby. It’s the best little bar in the state of Colorado.”
Diane said she is proud of Paityn Boyer, Lost Goat Tavern owner, and she knows Boyer will “make a good go of it.”
“The Goat” is what the residents of the greater Bayfield area fondly called the Billy Goat Saloon for decades, and it’s what they will continue to call the Lost Goat Tavern, hence the name, Boyer said.
She said she worked at the Billy Goat Saloon for about 10 years before the taproom closed its lodge-like wooden doors in August 2024. She couldn’t stand to see it go.
Former Billy Goat Saloon owner Ashleigh Tarkington, who is temporarily working the bar at the Lost Goat Tavern while Boyer settles in, said Boyer was the right person to continue the saloon’s legacy.
Tarkington placed the saloon on the market and received a lot of interest from prospective buyers. But she wasn’t comfortable with selling the saloon to any of them. She decided to pass the reins to Boyer and that was the right call.
Boyer said she is leasing the old-timey building from Tarkington with an intent to buy it.
Tarkington said Boyer can take as long as she needs to complete the purchase.
Jeff and Lainey Van Buren said they’ve been going to the Billy Goat Saloon for the last three years after moving to the area from California. They immediately fell in love with its outdoorsy, mountain cabin aesthetics and its staff.
Jeff said Tarkington’s personality is one of the big reasons they kept going back.
“She immediately connected with us just like what she used to do with everybody,” he said. “The people who work here are really good people and they’re from this area. They know everybody, they know what to expect out of people. ... It’s very nice.”
Tarkington said she closed the Billy Goat Saloon because she was wrapped up in litigation with another bar under a similar name and it was apparent she wasn’t going to come out on top. Additionally, a 2022 car crash caused by a woman driving under the influence of alcohol killed the intoxicated driver and a 47-year-old woman in another vehicle, and insurance providers have kept their distance from the saloon since then.
But she is confident the saloon will prosper with Boyer at the helm. They worked together to come up with the Lost Goat Tavern’s name for its revival.
“She has busted her ass back here for me over the years, and I feel like it’s just in good hands. I’m really excited,” Tarkington said. “... I can’t wait to belly up and sit on the other side and watch her fly.”
Boyer said all of the community’s favorite pastimes at the Billy Goat Saloon will return along with some new draws at the Lost Goat Tavern: Summer “porch pounder” drink specials, pop-up vendor markets, live music, karaoke, trivia nights and yoga and mimosas are but a few things she has in store.
Just like in the old days of the Billy Goat era, an outdoor smoker’s lounge and heated patio are in the back of the tavern, and pool tables with cheap rates are available inside.
Graze Colorado provided food options on Saturday in the absence of an eatery, which is going through final clearances with the La Plata County Health Department before it opens at the tavern. Boyer said she is leasing kitchen space to Peter Lee, owner of 1776 Bar & Grill in Ignacio, who will serve up burgers, pizza and similar food when he is ready to open in a few weeks.
She said she kept the Billy Goat Saloon’s family together, figuratively and literally. Her staff of five were previously employed at the saloon, and she brought her mother on as a barback to learn the ropes.
The Billy Goat Saloon had a rough reputation before Tarkington took over nearly 30 years ago. Locals used to call it the “knife and gun club.”
“It was just a bunch of dudes, and they would bring in dancers from Farmington,” she said, letting slip a short laugh. “... It took me a long time to, like, change the stigma. That’s why I think it’s pretty cool. It stays a female-owned business.”
She admitted the building’s front facade isn’t the most welcoming; people pass it by and go, “Huh?” she said. She even changed up the front door access so it wasn’t so intimidating.
But on Saturday, all it took was a single step through the old saloon’s doors and past its rough exterior to see and feel the snug embrace of a friendly, close community happy to be back home.
cburney@durangoherald.com