Halloween decorations at The Next Door featuring art by Greg Wheeler

The Next Door Bar is a Montrose drinkery on the same block as Rudyard’s at 2020 Waugh in Houston—seems like it has been there forever. The bar serves up strong cheap drinks, Lone Star in a bottle, a rockin’ juke box, old fashioned video games, and plenty of people watching. I stopped in last week for a nightcap and to see the Halloween decorations—this is a neighborhood watering hole that tends to go all out at Halloween.

I’ve been a patron for at least a decade. But Next Door isn’t only a hard core drinking bar; it is also, as the old moniker (The Next Door Gallery & Spirits) explained, an art gallery. And for me what can be better than cocktails AND art? Over the years the Next Door has shown some great Houston artists, many outsiders who have fought their way up. I’ve seen more interesting exhibits there than I’ve often seen on Gallery Row.

Decorations at The Next Door

I remember back in February of 2005 Patrick Medrano did an exhibit entitled “Innovative 4 Years”. A mixture of both paintings and his twisted and surreal sculptures, I fell in love with his work then and there.   I wrote about the show in my original TroysArt Newsletter. His pieces in that show ranged from $123 to $3,000. Try finding anything close to those prices at the Deborah Colton Gallery where he has exhibited in recent years.

What is great about the Next Door is that their artists fit so well into the atmosphere. With the current Halloween decorations, Greg Wheeler is the featured artist. His portrait series of serial killers seems effortless within the context of the awesome decorations.

Decorations at The Next Door

As for the crowd, this dive is a great equalizer. The patronage is a great mix of artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and others—you might find the scion of an old River Oaks family sitting next to a heroin addict at any given moment. And apparently the Next Door is known as one of the best hook-up bars in the city. So when checking out the decorations and the art, check out some strange!