We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind the success of the Squirrel Saloon Trading Company would be the support of friends that have been there since the conception of the brand. As we have developed and changed over time, from a homemade bar top at our house to an entire branding, we’ve embraced everything from bars and nightlife all the way to being out in nature doing things we love. Unfortunately, the other three founders have moved away from San Diego due to military obligations, leaving myself to keep The Squirrel Saloon Trading Co. afloat. Despite them leaving the area, all these friends, and more, have continued their support from Arizona, Virginia, and all over the country. People believe in the mindset of being a red blooded, America-loving group of people that want to get together for a Squirrely good time! Being true to who we are has allowed amazing friendships to form, brings us together, and gives us a reason to keep building a community for Squirrel Saloon Trading Company to continue to grow!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Squirrel Saloon Trading Co. is set apart from other companies by our unique reasoning behind picking our logo and designs. We picked Squirrel Saloon as a name and logo initially because of the community that we are a part of in military intelligence. Historically, a saying for our jobs is that we’re doing “Secret Squirrel Stuff” due to the fact that we are unable to share much about work. So we really took that and ran with it. It became a fun name to call our group and home bar, and then the brand evolved from there. We started as a small group of friends, so one of the challenges has been to change that into a brand that we can promote to people that haven’t been a part of our direct community. We’ve purposely tried to branch out to include aviation, other branches of the military, women, and other non military personnel that embrace the Squirrel Saloon Trading Co. mindset.

Something we really want people to know is how special our community is to us, and that we want to continue to recognize and support military intelligence. The message behind our brand stemmed from good people wanting to have a good time, but it grew into having a bigger meaning. Living a lifestyle fueled by adventure and bringing people together with similar interests has kept us going.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego has been an amazing place to live. This city is filled with amazing food, views, nightlife, and history. San Diego Zoo is a must see, it’s recognized around the country for its awesome variety of exotic animals. Since San Diego is such a big Navy town, I’ve gotta recommend touring the Midway. It’s a retired Navy carrier turned into a museum. Other historic areas of San Diego include The Hotel Del on Coronado and some ghost tours. Some of the best bars are in Pacific Beach and the Gaslamp Quarter. My favorites include Moonshine Flats, Barleymash, The Smoking Gun, Trailer Park After Dark, Thrusters, Shore Club, Society, and The Local (keep an eye out for the Squirrel Saloon Trading Co. stickers we’ve left in every bar we’ve visited).

And of course, you can’t forget about the beautiful sights to see. Sunset cliffs, Torrey Pines, and plenty of other trails our here to catch a beautiful sunset on.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this to the fallen Department of Defense Intelligence personnel. They served in silence, fighting for this country that we love. We donate a portion of every sale to the Defense Memorial Intelligence Foundation in order to give back to a community that never asks for anything in return. I would also like to give a shoutout to Get Dubbed Studios for bringing our Squirrelly Design ideas to life!

Website: squirrelsaloon.us

Instagram: @squirrel_saloon_trading

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squirrelsaloontrading

Image Credits
Photos taken by Haley Mayfield. Instagram handle is @hmayfield_photography

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