Andy and Jillian Stirling started working together back in college in the early 2000s in an Ellensburg bar called The Mint.

Over the past 20 years, though, they had gone their separate ways in their work lives. Jillian worked at the Sports Page Bar & Grill for 22 years, while Andy spent more than 20 years in the banking industry.

Now, they’re working together at a bar again — this time as owners of the Sports Page, a longtime bar and restaurant in downtown Kennewick. Their brother-in-law, Seattle attorney Jacob Downs, is also an owner.

Although they officially took the keys to the business March 1, the new owners celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 5 where they recognized longtime owner Terri Rullman, who wanted to retire.

She and her late husband, Don Rullman, bought the old Kennewick Tavern in 1996, and over the years, the couple were able to expand the business. They added more square footage by buying adjacent and empty portions of the building to add an all-ages restaurant, a banquet room, and a horse racing betting parlor.

In 2002, Don Rullman died, but his wife continued running the business for the next couple of decades, transforming it into a popular downtown Kennewick destination.

The chance for the Stirlings and Downs to buy the established bar and restaurant came about in early 2024.

“This has been Jillian’s dream for a long time. She started working here in 2003,” said Andy, who left his position as a regional vice president at Numerica Credit Union to help his wife. 

Even when Andy’s credit union job forced him to transfer to Bend, Oregon, for a couple years, Jillian would still make the trek up to Kennewick to work some shifts. 

The couple moved back to the Tri-Cities in 2010.

Over the last 10 years, Jillian has been managing the place.

They had hoped the transfer of ownership would happen around Jan. 1 of this year.

“The challenge for us was the timing,” Andy said. “Take something simple as gambling. There is lot of paperwork to be filled out.”

Working with the state gambling commission and liquor board, as well as hammering out a lease with the building’s owner, took longer than expected. “On March 1 we got the green light,” Andy said.

Their own spin

Since then, the new ownership group has been putting their own spin on the place.

New television screens are being brought in – it is a sports bar, after all – as well as fresh sports memorabilia. The 19 TVs will use streaming apps.

High school football team helmets for Kennewick, Kamiakin and Southridge will adorn the walls, as well as other sports paraphernalia.

“We have to have a local partnership with a lot of these things,” said Andy, who wants to make the place a gathering spot for Gonzaga, Mariners, Seahawks and NFL fans.

The Stirlings plan to rely on social media to market the business. They’ve already been live-streaming drawings and giveaways on Facebook.

Andy has created a new website at sportspagewa.com, where customers can leave reviews.

The new owners recently announced that kids 12 and under will be able to eat on Mondays and Wednesdays for 99 cents with one adult meal order.

Andy looked at what Miner’s Drive-In Restaurant does in Yakima to bring in more business – feeding coaches for free when they bring their sports teams in after contests.

So coaches will be able to eat free – from a smaller, limited menu – if they bring in at least three of their players to the Sports Page after their games.

There will be ’80s and ’90s themed nights once a month with a DJ.

They’d also like to see the 50-person banquet room in the back put to more use, and there are plans to promote the off-track horse racing betting facility. 

The next closest betting parlor is in Spokane.

The Stirlings also plan to add video game machines in the back room for the kids.

‘Best cook in town’

The menu is not changing much, Jillian said.

“Sherry (Scott) is the best cook in town,” she said. “The menu is such a staple to this place. So we’re not taking anything off of it. But we’ve added a couple of things.”

That would be the Andy Sandy (for her husband), the Brayden Bacon Blue Cheeseburger (for their son), and steak fettuccini.

All 19 employees have stayed on, and, with Andy, that puts the staff total at 20. 

“We got lucky in that we got everything we need,” Andy said. “We have a great kitchen staff, as well as service staff.”

Sports bar life

It’s interesting to look at a week in the life of a popular sports bar and restaurant and all of the subgroups that visit.

There is a group that comes weekly to play pull tabs.

In the fall, there are fantasy football groups who get together on a weekly basis. A San Francisco 49ers fan group shows up when their team plays.

“In the back, there is a group of ladies who come in twice a month to play bridge,” said Jillian. “And another group of ladies come in to play canasta two times a month.”

Andy said he wants to start a karaoke group.

The regulars have become their extended family.

“My favorite thing about this place is my customers,” Jillian said. “It’s great to come to work every day, and I get to see them. I’ve known many of these people since I first started here; some of them were little kids.”

That extended family showed up in droves at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“It was pretty cool,” Andy said. “A sea of phones went up. It was great to see so many people who cared about this place, and they were all so excited for us. I mean, you don’t put up your phones for something like that unless you really care about it.”

Coming full circle

It’s been a full circle moment for the Stirlings, taking them back to their early days together in that Ellensburg bar.

“I kept going in all the time, kept putting in quarters in a Dig Dug video game,” Andy said. “I just kept coming in because Jillian worked there, and I thought she was so cute. She finally convinced the owner that they should hire me because I was always in there anyway.”

Now, after decades working apart, they’re turning the Sports Page into a family affair.

“Jillian is a great leader. If I can help with efficiency and promotions, and stay in the background, that’s great,” Andy said. “I’m really excited to work with Jillian, that we get to work together to create something. So, it’s super fun to come back to our roots and be part of something together.”

Sports Page Bar & Grill: 6 Cascade St., Kennewick; 509-585-0590; sportspagewa.com.