SANDPOINT — Manny and Alayna Reichl discovered the majesty of North Idaho, like so many of the people before them. 

Driving through North Idaho on a wine barrel delivery, they stumbled across Sandpoint and immediately fell in love. At the time, Alayna Reichl was eight months pregnant and said she easily envisioned raising her family in the community. 

“Idaho is a beautiful state, Sandpoint is just a gem,” Reichl said. “We always say that it found us.” 

For the couple to move from Big Bear Lake in Southern California, they would need to expand their ongoing business, Barrel 33, to Sandpoint. After finding a building and prepping it throughout the summer, their second location opened in the winter of 2022. 

"It definitely was a bit of a risk and a little bit challenging,” Reichl said about opening in the winter. “My husband and I have been known to come out of nowhere and I think it surprises the community, we did the same when we moved to Big Bear, acquired our location, opened up very quickly and then built on top of that.” 

The Reichls building has continued to push Barrel 33 forward, now on the precipice of the Sandpoint location’s third anniversary.

“Three has been a special number; Barrel 33 stemmed from our connection to that number,” Reichl said. “When you’re in a town when you see businesses come and go on a yearly basis, you’re reminded to be humble and thankful for everything that we’ve built.” 

To celebrate, the restaurant will be hosting events throughout the week which culminates with a party on the evening of Friday, Oct. 17. Reichl said she is excited to celebrate with her staff and family who are making the trip to Sandpoint for the event. 

Headlining the event is music by Ian Newbill, a local country music artist, who’s one of the many who have performed at Barrel 33 previously. Reichl said that connecting with the local community has always been their intention and pushes them to hold as many events at the restaurant as they can. 

From live music to paint and sip events, Reichl believes that these events have made Barrel 33 a community hub. She said that they are working on expanding those offerings, like a weekly movie screening on the restaurant's back patio. 

"We’ve created a space that feels local, approachable and a little bit different from your usual dining experience,” Reichl said. “We want it to be somewhere where people look forward to the next exciting thing. We also like getting to support other small businesses in doing so, we’re all about community.”  

Over the three years of operation, Reichl said Barrel 33 Sandpoint has continued to evolve. She said that the business originally opened just a wine tasting room, similar to what they were running in Big Bear, but they quickly noticed a demand for more food offerings. 

"Initially we didn’t even want a kitchen, take the glasses, we won’t even have a sink or do dishes. But that very quickly changed when we realized all the permits we needed to have,” Reichl said. “So, we started off with a very small menu and a toaster oven and then we built that up to having rapid cook ovens, enhancing the customers’ experience with food.” 

The two restaurants recently underwent a rebranding that brought them more in-line with one another, sharing offerings like huckleberry marshmallows between the two locations. However, Reichl said that it hasn’t stopped them from continuing the community connection in their food offerings. 

“The mushroom flat bread, we get mushrooms grown here... the bread comes from a local bakery," Reichl said. “It’s not an effort to bend to the community, it’s growth.” 

Barrel 33 will be offering food and drink specials all week, including regional beer, wine and cider tastings as a part of the celebration. Friday’s event runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m.; more information can be found at barrel33sandpoint.com.