In September 2025, just over 10 years after it had first opened its doors, Marble Distillers in Carbondale launched Club Marble in what, during that first decade, had been an underutilized bar-lounge room in the front of the distillery. The Sopris Sun sat down with co-owners Connie Baker and Corey Shank, as well as with Gretta McKenney, the club’s liaison of privileges & experiences, to discuss the new venture.
McKenney described it as, “Our rebranding, from a tasting room into more of an experience-driven, networking location.”
Shank added, “It is a social membership club [but] we are open to the public,” adding that the perception of it being private “is a misnomer I’d like to squash.” He continued, “Really, the idea of a social element is paramount … Downvalley, everybody has little nooks and crannies they can go to,” citing TACAW as an example.
Shank went on, “Bars are just not run as bars anymore. If you pay attention to what everybody is doing, they’re looking for activations and social engagement to bring the community together. I don’t think this is anything unique to Marble.” He noted the type of programming that the Aspen Institute and TACAW are doing: “That’s really what we’re striving for.”
Discussions about creating a social club in the lounge space began about two years ago. The distillery was noticing fewer people drinking, and those who were largely stayed at the establishments in the middle of town, rather than venturing to their spot at the east end of Main Street.
Shank elaborated, “We just got to a point where we [had] enough loyal patrons of Marble where we could … cater to what people were asking us for and what the market was saying. If we were just going to have a bar selling primarily our spirits, I just don’t think we’d be in business anymore. We were looking for a business model that would allow us to stay in business.”
Membership is $1,500 annually for an individual, with some other options available. Several privileges and discounts come with membership. For nonmembers, there is also a $50 day pass that includes a couple of cocktails.
Discussing membership statistics, Shank said, “We have a decent number, not a huge number by any stretch, so there’s plenty of room. The water’s warm, come on in!”
In response to the observation that the cost may give the impression of exclusivity, Baker said, “Membership isn’t about excluding people – it’s about making the experience sustainable enough to offer more of it, more consistently, for the community as a whole.” She continued, “I understand why people might wonder about that at first glance. But the reality is that the membership model is what allows us to create and sustain the kind of programming, hospitality, and atmosphere we’ve always wanted Marble to offer.”
Baker went on, “Club Marble was never intended to be a ‘closed-door’ concept. We continue to host plenty of events that are open to the public, and we genuinely want people to feel welcome here. At the same time, membership gives us a base of support that helps fund the live music, talks, tastings, special dinners, comedy and other experiences that simply wouldn’t be possible to offer consistently as a small independent business otherwise.”
Continuing on what sets the club apart from a standard bar, Shank observed, “I think we’re looking for more unique events” than just having live music. He gave as an example an evening talk for members with a local geologist discussing the origins of the stone in the stunning white Yule marble bar along the club’s back wall; also in attendance were employees of the Yule Quarry in Marble.
As Shank described it, “It just became this really dynamic back-and-forth between the two of them. That to me was one of the huge successes.” In the future he would like to see the club host Moth Radio Hour-like events and has had discussions about “instituting that on a regular basis.”
McKenney pointed out the club’s dual objectives of a place where members “come because you are bringing your colleagues or you’re meeting your clients,” and the distillery’s commitment to the Carbondale community, where, “We want to make sure there’s room for community events … to come here and hold their gatherings, their fundraisers.”
Recent examples included a couple of the monthly Andy Zanca Youth Empowerment Program Vinyl Vault events (with more planned through the end of the school year) that showcase KDNK’s youth DJs, and a fundraiser for the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers hosted at the club by Mountain Tide Provisions.
More information on Club Marble membership can be found at marbledistilling.com/marble-bar