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A BAR
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A BAR
A BAR
The ConceptWhy By The Wayside?
You’ve probably heard the expression "by the wayside" to describe something that's been forgotten or left behind. We believe something different. We believe the creativity, passion, inspiration, curiosity, and joy that life has slowly pulled away from us aren't gone at all, they're simply waiting to be rediscovered. By The Wayside is that place. It's where music, art, craft, conversation, and community come together to help people reconnect with themselves and with one another. We believe a great night out should leave you feeling more inspired than when you arrived. We aim to fill your cup in more ways than one.
The Story
By The Wayside is the shared vision of Samantha (Sam) Navarre, Braden Navarre, and Sergio Contreras. Sam spent years immersed in Houston's nightlife and creative communities, developing a fascination with the places that make people want to stay, connect, and come back. Braden has spent more than twenty years performing as a musician across Houston and the country. Sergio brings more than two decades of experience in the cocktail industry, including training in New York, and has built a beverage program rooted in craftsmanship, hospitality, and fresh ingredients.
Together, they weren't chasing the idea of opening another bar. They were drawn toward creating a place where great cocktails, live music, local art, and genuine human connection all mattered equally, a place that reminded people that a night out could leave them feeling more inspired than when they arrived.
That journey began in May 2023. While driving through their community on the way to the gym each day, Sam and Braden kept passing a building they couldn't stop thinking about. It wasn't part of the original plan, but something about it felt like home. The more time they spent imagining what it could become, the more certain they became that this was where By The Wayside belonged. In April 2024, Sergio joined the project, bringing decades of experience and helping shape the handcrafted cocktail program that has become central to the experience.
After nearly three years of dreaming, designing, building, and refining every detail, By The Wayside opened its doors in April 2026. Today, it exists for one simple reason: To create the kind of place that's becoming harder and harder to find: a place where people don't just consume an experience, they become part of it. Where strangers become conversations, musicians become discoveries, artists become inspiration, and a night out becomes something worth remembering.
Every detail is intentionally designed to invite curiosity, connection, and participation, because we believe the best nights aren't spent simply watching life happen, they're spent fully experiencing it.
Mission & Vision Statement
Our mission is to create experiences that invite people to slow down, reconnect, and participate in life. Through handcrafted cocktails, live music, local art, and genuine hospitality, we create a place where curiosity is rewarded, connection happens naturally, and unforgettable memories are made.
Our vision is to create places that make the world feel more human by inspiring people to slow down, connect deeply, discover something new, and fully participate in life.
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The spaces we spend our time shape how we feel, who we meet, what we discover, and the stories we carry with us. That’s why every detail matters. A place can be more than somewhere you went, it can change the course of your night, spark an idea, introduce you to something new, or remind you of a part of yourself you’d forgotten.
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Built to order whenever possible, with fresh ingredients, real fruit, house-made syrups, and genuine craft. Sitting at a bar should be an experience. Watching your cocktail come to life, talking with the person making it, the shake, the pour, the anticipation, it’s all part of the hospitality. We don’t want to optimize the magic out of it.
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It isn’t background noise. It’s art being created in real time, right in front of you, a living collaboration between the musicians, the room, and everyone in it. Feel it. Move to it. Respond to it. Let yourself become part of it. Music isn’t only meant to be heard. It’s meant to be experienced.
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That means fair pay, creative freedom, and spaces where their work is given the attention it deserves. We want musicians and artists to feel as much a part of By The Wayside as the people who walk through its doors, and for our guests to leave knowing the name of someone they didn’t know when they arrived.
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Not customers, people. For whatever time someone spends with us, we want to know them, anticipate what might make their experience better, notice the details, and care about how they feel. Great hospitality goes far beyond serving someone well. It’s the difference between being somewhere you were welcomed and somewhere you were truly seen.
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Take the detour. Wander in without much of a plan. Stay for one more song. Talk to someone you didn’t come with. Follow whatever catches your curiosity. Those are the nights that can lead to new experiences, new friends, forgotten pieces of yourself, or entirely new ones you hadn’t met yet.
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Try the unfamiliar cocktail. Listen to the musician you’ve never heard of. Look a little longer at the art. Ask a question. Say hello. Show up open to whatever the night might give you.
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Not everything needs to make us healthier, richer, more productive, or more efficient. Some things are worth doing for no greater reason than they’re fun. Stay out too late sometimes. Dance when you feel like it. Order the damn cocktail. Life is happening now.