Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Marshall.
Lindsey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
If you want all the ‘things’ in life, you gotta earn them. Right? That’s how I was taught. Work hard, play hard, and always forward movement. I started serving when I was 16. I loved the interaction with people, putting smiles on their faces, and the general flow of the business. In college, I learned how to bartend. Slinging drinks at the local bar was great! It was like getting paid to be at the biggest party in town! Little did I know, it only got better from there. I graduated from school and moved back to my hometown (Peabody) to save up for my next adventure. I worked for Applebee’s in Newton til I gathered the cash to move out to Fort Collins, CO with some school friends. It was there that I discovered the true meaning of the Dive Bar. There was life beyond corporate restaurants, after all! I managed a tiny little dive on College Ave called Kevin’s Pub. Home to bikers, nomads, musicians, regulars, and the average working class that needed to cut loose away from the world. I’d found my niche, cultivating lifelong friendships, exploring nature, strolling the local pubs, singing and playing music with a few different alternative and blues bands… Music is in my bones. Literally. My dad was a music teacher and actually started me in percussion when I was just 6! However, singing has always been my 1st love. Most of my childhood friends can tell you, wherever I was, whatever I was doing, I was always singing. Making up songs, singing and dancing along to whatever was in my head or on the speakers. Hell, not just childhood friends. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am still like that at the age of 50!!! Can’t help it. Sometimes you just gotta sing and dance. I loved to perform, and bartending provided a stage like no other.
It was time to switch gears and figure out what I wanted to do with my future, so back to Kansas I went. Picked back up with the corporate restaurant to save money once again. I was ultimately trying to focus on music at that point. I had been attending the Walnut Valley Festival since the age of 16, and really took to festival life as well as that whole music scene. The classic country, the bluegrass, acoustic pickin’ and grinnin’, the folk, Americana, all of it. That is where my heart felt whole, so I knew music had to be a part of my new direction. One day I flipped a coin. Nashville or Austin? Nashville won.
A couple of years were spent bartending and serving downtown on Broadway before moving out to Hendersonville (a suburb of Nashville). I found the perfect Dive Bar on Old Hickory Lake. The place that I will always call home. The place that taught me more life lessons than I care to share. The place that took me in and truly showed me what family was about. I was hired for my smart aleck wit and sharp attitude. Sputniks will forever hold space and time for me. We had live music, a rockin’ kitchen, and a packed bar every single day. Some of the biggest names in music walked in and out of that joint like it was their living room. By that time, I learned that we all put our socks on one at a time. Being ‘starstruck’ was a thing of the past. We are all human and deserve a place to be human. I helped manage Sputniks for a few years before we closed down. The hardest lesson and worst nightmare a bartender/owner could ever think of happened right before our eyes. A customer lost his life in a bar fight. The place was packed, the band was loud, everyone was having a great time. It happened so fast none of us knew what to do. Very often, I tell people I moved back to Kansas because my Dad’s health was failing. It’s a lot easier to explain that than the tragedy that ended my time in the city I loved so dearly.
My sister talked me into purchasing a house in Peabody. It was close to my parents’ home, and needed to be ‘flipped’. A few years later (and many more life lessons in) the opportunity to purchase our local watering hole was presented. I’d always adored the woman who built it back in the 70’s. This was a chance to carry on her legacy and have my very own bar and grill! I was so excited to jump in and get going. I would be able to share my passion for music, cooking, performing, and the art of free pouring the perfect whiskey and coke. I had a 5 year plan. Finish flipping my house, turn the Coneburg into a lucrative establishment, sell them both, and on with the show! Sounds good in theory, right?
That was 2011. To call it a whirlwind would be the understatement of the century. I had no idea what I was in for. But I loved every second of it! Being my own boss is WILD. It’s hard. It is absolutely not for the faint of heart. The amount of stress and balance that I go through on a daily basis is impossible to explain to anyone who has not been in ‘the business’. That being said, I was doing the darn thing. I finally had my own home, my own business, and the perfect little dive that I’d always wanted. The Regulars were amazing, the newbies were always excited to find their “hole in the wall’. Their ‘gem’. The original musicians that stopped through to play their music had attentive ears to listen to their songs, and hot food to fill their bellies. The 5 year plan had turned into a 6 year plan. Then 8 years. Then 10 year plan… Every holiday, every weekend (Unless it’s Bluegrass weekend… IYKYK), every day was filled with a new adventure in entrepreneurship, and I was loving every minute of it. Kinda. For the most part. I mean, 85% of the time at least…
I don’t want to skip over the part where I became the proud Mommy of a tenacious little 5 year old. Because in 2018, THAT happened! So let’s add being a parent to the mix, right? Why not? I’ve lived a crazy existence. I’ve been the rockstar, the vagabond, the student, the wild child, the sassy barmaid, the boss… What I hadn’t done (nor had I ever thought of adding to the equation) was parent. But here we are. And some would say, just in time. We found each other just in the nick of time. The Universe knew we both needed one another and played the cards just right for both of us. I don’t know where I’d be without her. She has really grounded me and helped mold me into the person I am today. She is one of the main reasons I chose to carry on after the fire. I wanted to show her that we DO NOT GIVE UP when things get hard. And this was/is hard. We keep going, and we finish what we start.
Ohhhh… The fire. THE fire. My phone rang at 5:30 am on December 8, 2024. It was a staff member telling me to get to the bar, it was burning. Instantly, I thought ‘NO it’s not. Someone just packed too much wood into the fireplace and it’s burning off’. The fireplace is part of the bones of the Coneburg. It has provided ambiance and warmth to hundreds of regulars and weary travelers. Oh, the stories it could tell… Shhhh…. Anyway, part of the closing duties is to stock the fireplace to keep the building warm, and so the opener can easily light her back up. Easy, right? Smoky, yes? Right. Yes.
The bar would not be on fire, it’s metal.
BOY was I wrong. I pulled up to the Burg and my heart shattered into a million pieces. Maybe more.
The sun hadn’t quite come up yet and we could see the flashing lights reflecting off the water tower, firetrucks filled the parking lot, and the chaos was so real. I just sat there in my vehicle with my sister and 2 friends – no words, just tears. When we were finally able to get inside the building, I couldn’t even wrap my head around what I was seeing. All of the years of dedication, all of the collected and gifted artifacts, the equipment, my investment… The memories… Everything reduced to smoldering, charred rubble. Just days away from Christmas.
What came next? People. Our people. From allllll over. In droves. With shovels, with food, with drinks, gloves, masks, trucks, dumpsters, rakes, heaters, you name it. The support was just insane! Donations for the rebuild and for the staff started pouring in. Fundraisers were organized. Volunteers worked tirelessly. Endlessly. We made list after list after list. Day in, day out, all night, all morning.
It was fascinating to see the progress made by the contractors. Each wall being built was a step forward. The day they installed the toilet and turned the water on – let’s just say there were a lot of happy workers in there! I bet I flushed it 14 times and let out a ‘woohoooooo’ with each one! One afternoon we walked in and I could hear a fan running. ELECTRICITY?!?!?! My friend flipped a switch and – – – LIGHTS!!!!! We had LIGHTS! And we had WATER!!!! Tears again, but much different this time. Happy, elated tears.
Throughout the rebuild process, we purchased a food trailer to keep us afloat! Talk about a whole new experience. It has been such a blessing. We were able to see our people again! We took it to a few events, saw new faces, and discovered how much we missed cooking and serving. It truly inspired our team to keep pushing and building. My buddy Rich named it Coneburg Curbside. It really took on a life of its own! We talked about selling it once we reopen but decided to hang onto it and see where it takes us next!
Days, weeks, months, now a year have passed. Folks cannot wait for us to open up again. The closer we get, the more small projects and snags pop up. All of the ‘big’ stuff is completed. It’s the ‘little’ things that need done that are holding us back. My “right hand man” has been there nonstop trying to put it all together. He is tired. I am tired. We are all tired at this point. Staying positive has become a struggle. Finding balance in the midst of frustration, daily life, finances, and piles of tools in every corner is something that does not come easily for me. But we are doing it. We are weeks away from opening these doors to welcome everyone back in.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it’s been even close to smooth. It’s been a learning experience, for sure. But smooth? Absolutely not. I am a people pleaser. I want everyone happy, healthy, and thriving. In the past I would stop at nothing to make that happen for just about anyone. The hardest part of being in my shoes is recognizing and accepting that is not possible. No one can make everyone happy 100% of the time. Life happens to everyone. Unfortunately, so does the end of life. We lost our dad a year prior to me opening the Coneburg. It was completely unexpected. He was a leader in our community, and it turned us all upside down. He would have loved seeing me as a mom. He would love being a grampa. He would love seeing me succeed with owning my own place… And he would LOVE the food we make. Struggling with the loss of a parent while navigating through real life is not something I would wish on anyone ever. Time doesn’t stop for any of us.
A few years back we started seeing some signs of dementia with our mother. She was a strong willed, independent woman who raised 2 daughters to be the same. We did our best to keep her at home but ultimately made the decision to move her in a nursing/rehabilitation facility. Up until that point, my mom would come up for dinner every single night. She always joked “Now that Bob is gone, I don’t have to cook for anyone! I let my kid do it for me!”. And we were happy to do it. Mom was a staple of the Burg, of Peabody, of the journalism world. Her sharp wit and extensive vocabulary were enough to make you laugh or cry – depending on her mood. My sister and I were able to visit her daily and we are lucky to have been able to join her in her journey. She wore the “Grandma Susan” badge with pride and joy. She loved seeing all that my sister and I accomplished. Mom passed away last August. My mother, my rock, my person, will never see what her baby has rebuilt. I wanted so badly to share this with her. I felt the same way about our dad when I opened up 15 years ago. That was something she and I spoke about frequently. And here we are again. Our parents instilled grit in my sister and me. That grit has gotten us where we are today. What I wouldn’t give to have our mother and father here on opening day. It stings, it hurts. But its life.
The obstacle of keeping a restaurant fully staffed is probably the toughest part of being a business owner. It’s a revolving door. This town is tiny, and there is often residual baggage that comes with staff. I think that’s pretty common anywhere, but the restaurant industry is its own beast. And it can sure rear its ugly head at times! Enforcing ‘rules and regulations’ as a boss is TOUGH. Trying to keep everyone happy, on time, on task, upright, and moving is difficult. The staff I have now are a handful of great people. They all get along, they work well together, they communicate as a well-oiled machine. It hasn’t always been that way. It definitely took us awhile to get here. I have had the best of the best throughout the years. The chefs, bartenders, cooks, servers that have passed through these doors have built this place. Literally and figuratively. I’m proud of all of them.
The consistent reality of the unknown is always looming. Numbers, cost, volume, staffing, rules, overhead, bills… I have to always be counting and vigilant of everything going on. This past year has piled that pressure more than I ever expected. No doubt. Losing my mother, a few of our regulars, our family cat, as well as a personal relationship all while doing my damdest to rebuild EVERYTHING from the ground up has been a challenge. I do my best to persevere and keep a smile… Thankfully the people with whom I surround myself have been there to pad my fall. They have been beyond supportive and given me grace time after time. They are the ones who smooth my road, and I truly hope they know who they are.
I didn’t even mention Covid. Ugh.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Coneburg Grill and Pub is my restaurant in Peabody, Ks. It’s been around since 1978, opened by local Shirley Strotkamp. It changed hands multiple times throughout the years. As locals, we visited regularly. It was always the place to be on Wednesday Nights (Mexican Food!!!). It has always been the place to go in Marion County. It’s a tiny little building that sit’s on the northwest corner of town that has always been known for it’s low key vibe and great food! We still run Wednesday Night Specials, with Mexican every other Wednesday evening, and the other Wednesdays are reserved for funkier themed menus. Cajun, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, Pasta Nights, etc. That gives each of the Cooks a chance to either create or cook/expedite something new and different from that of our regular menu. Our clientele loves it as well, because it brings a different flare to their usual picks.
Our Menu is pretty extensive. Burgers to Flatbread Pizza, to hand breaded scratch items like Chicken Fried Steak and Catfish. Even our Fried Pickles are made to order. We are also well known for our Reuben Sandwiches! We make a ‘special’ sauce, as opposed to the usual 1000 Island or Russian Mustard. The Marbled Rye is lightly toasted, and the Corned beef is cooked in with the Sauerkraut with melty Swiss Cheese, lending to the Reuben lover’s palette.
We also have a Sunday Brunch. Although we have a specific Menu for it, you can usually count on a little variety for your Sunday Funday. Sundays have become quite popular ’round here! You can almost count on running into a small handful of musicians as they pass through. From the local church crowd to the bikers and cyclists, musicians to cowboys to neighboring families… You never know who you will see there! Sundays are most definitely for The Burg.
We also offer THE MOST fun Trivia around, every other Tuesday. The hosts truly bring their A Game to each one. It’s a fun way to bond with other teams, get to know each other, and just yuck it up together! We definitely love our Trivia Tuesdays.
I take pride in the cozy atmosphere, service, and absolutely – the food. We all work hard to deliver a hometown experience that will leave you planning your next visit! Dive in to see us. Cruise downtown to check out our 1880
s Main Street and all the businesses have to offer! We are so proud to be a part of this quirky little community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
This is a tricky one. While one would say the events that have unfolded may be the worst of luck, they have truly shown me how lucky I am. First and foremost, no one was hurt in the fire. That is more than luck, it’s a blessing on every single level. Aside from the immense support from all over (and I do mean ALL over), the fire showed me strength, tenacity, loyalty, and grace. The way everyone pulled together, have continued to pull together, it would just blow anyone’s mind! I didn’t know how incredibly loved we truly are. I’d say that’s pretty lucky. So many lessons have come to light. Always have a Plan B. Always. ALWAYS have an exit strategy and be ready to execute that at all times. Be ready to rely on yourself and your intuition. Be ready to grieve and celebrate, be ready to laugh and cry. Just be ready.
I don’t really believe in ‘bad luck’. I believe life is a series of events. The good, the bad, the ugly, the big, the small, the beautiful. It’s really all in how you handle it. Do you move on to the next big thing? Or do you do your best to bring yourself back to homebase? Each person experiences their life differently. It’s all in your perception and willingness to truly follow through for yourself, your family, and your community. Are you willing to adapt and overcome? Or would you rather fold when shit gets tough? Because none of this is easy. It never has been, it never will be easy. It’s about the ebb and flow. It’s about accountability, and strength in your own convictions. It’s about being ready to accept life when it gets really, really, real.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coneburg.com
- Facebook: Coneburg Grill and Pub
