The porch is packed with college students, neon beer signs hang in the window and party music lingers in the background at The Perch — just a few feet away from the University of Idaho’s famed Hello Walk.
It was a typical weekend night at The Perch, and the scene has made the store a beloved hangout for UI students.
“It’s a perfect little spot,” said Dradin Kreft, a Perch patron and a senior nutrition major at UI.
Many UI students have expressed remorse over a unanimous decision by the Moscow City Council this summer that prevents The Perch from selling alcohol for on-site consumption.
Located near Old Greek Row, Kreft said The Perch offered a convenient alternative to walking downtown for a drink. He said the storeowner offered great prices on-tap beer, knew students by name and created a welcoming environment for patrons.
Kreft said he would miss going to The Perch after Friday classes to catch up with friends over a beer.
“We’re not going to be able to do that anymore,” he said.
Like many other Vandals, Kreft said he has many memorable moments at The Perch.
He recalled his 21st birthday last March, when his father came to Moscow to help celebrate the day and the two shared his first legal drink at The Perch.
The “21 run” at The Perch is a tradition within many Greek houses, said Allison Sullivan, a member of Delta Gamma Sorority.
Although Sullivan has not made the run yet, she said hanging out with fellow sisters at The Perch is a good time, and a tradition that will be missed. She hopes The Perch will be pouring drinks before her own 21st birthday in November.
Kreft said he appreciated that The Perch did not have an intense drinking environment like many of the bars downtown that serve hard liquor.
UI student Peter Rustemeyer said the store was a hangout spot for many students — particularly those in the Greek community.
“The Perch was a really nice place to go with our friends and meet new friends,” he said.
Zach Cosgrove, a junior mechanical engineering student, said what he enjoyed most about going to The Perch was hanging out with friends.
“It’s just a fun place to be,” he said. “It’s more of just a social thing.”
Kreft said The Perch has been involved in the campus community, and even partnered with his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, to raise money for the fraternity’s national nonprofit, the ALS Association.
The Perch also donated hundreds of dollars to the nonprofit as part of a promotion with the fraternity’s annual Turtle Derby.
The well-known business continues to resonate with UI alumni years later.
John Weber, a Moscow city council member and UI alumni, said he remembers The Perch as a popular malt shop that served hamburgers and milkshakes, and even had a jukebox and pinball machine.
He said he remembers delivering Wonder Bread to The Perch years later as a Hostess Products delivery driver, and went on to even install the draft system inside the business today.
Another city council member, Wayne Krauss, said he recalls The Perch as a convenient grocery store on campus that served canned beer for off-site consumption.
For regular patrons like Kraft, he said he hopes The Perch will return to pouring drinks as soon as possible.
“Bring it back,” he said. “Whatever they have to do.”
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected]