Monday, September 6, 2010

Pop Culture | Vancouver, WA


How many of you remember sipping from classic soda pop varieties such as Hire’s Root Beer, Royal Crown Cola, Bubble Up, Ne-Hi Grape, Nesbitt’s Orange, or Kickapoo’s Joy Juice? Or when was the last time you downed a Coke, Pepsi, or 7-Up from a glass bottle? If it’s been a while like it has been for us, then planning a trip to Vancouver, Washington, and stopping into Pop Culture may just be the cure to bring back what was once lost.

Originally known as Moxie’s on Main, Pop Culture offers a place for folks young and old to come in, enjoy a snack, and “pop” open a bottle of soda or two to wash away their worries and celebrate the moment.

“The idea behind Pop Culture is to provide a fun and relaxing place to hang out,” notes owner Dan Wyatt. “I also want the place to be current and on the cutting edge.”

Mission accomplished as Pop Culture has become quite the hot spot to find something new and exciting. For example, on certain evenings of the week, it’s quite common to find local – and not so local – music acts playing on its raised stage. They also play host to stand-up comedy routines, movie nights, open mic nights, special parties and events, and on occasion, fashion shows.

But it wasn’t always that easy. At least, not from the beginning. According to Wyatt, he tried for a while to keep the name Moxie’s on Main, especially since the name itself was synonymous with Vancouver. There’s a lot of tradition inside these walls, and Wyatt didn’t want to change that.

“But I was new management and I wasn’t Moxie’s on Main,” recalls Wyatt. “And this kept people from coming in when I first took over the business.”

So, after a little bit of cosmetic surgery, which included a revamped food menu featuring gourmet hot dogs to compliment an already large selection of vintage and specialty glass bottled sodas, a new attitude and identity was brought into the fold. Pop Culture was born, and they’ve not looked back since.


“I’m pretty happy with the way things turned out here,” Wyatt says. And as we collected our bottles of sodas to leave, he was quick to add, “Thanks for stopping by. I hope you come back soon.”

We certainly will the next time we’re in town. And thank you for sharing Pop Culture’s story with us.

Pop Culture
1929 Main St
Vancouver, WA 98660


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