The no-smoking policy at a new Lawrence bar is not a fleeting fancy.

But a pair of rickshaws hauling bar patrons over the Kansas River bridge may be.

“We know somebody in town with two rickshaws,” said Kristine Midyett, manager and co-owner of the recently opened Gaslight Tavern, 317 N. Second St. “We thought it might be fun to offer people free rides over on a Monday night after Free State closes. It’s a total novelty idea, but I would do it more than once if it went well.”

While other bar owners have been lamenting the city’s debates over a smoking ban and the number of downtown bars, the Gaslight Tavern has quietly set up shop as a nonsmoking bar.

“We don’t want to be just a smoky, yucky bar,” Midyett said of the Gaslight, which is named in honor of the historic campus bar of the same name.

Midyett, who described the 40-person capacity bar as “cozy,” said the brightly painted walls decorated with artwork she collected during a recent trip to Thailand are part of an effort to create a fresh, unique drinking establishment. The no-smoking policy also is part of that effort.

It’s not because Midyett supports the proposed ban; she said she didn’t. But no smoking made sense for the Gaslight because of the bar’s tight quarters.

“It’s just too small in here to smoke,” Midyett said. “And it makes everybody smoke less, which is a good thing.”

Plans to expand

Midyett plans to open an outdoor seating area soon, which will expand its capacity to 120. The outdoor area will accommodate smokers.

Until then, bartender Kristin Hines, a member of the Gaslight’s eight-person staff, said the no-smoking policy would not limit the tavern’s clientele.

“Half or more of the people who have come in are smokers, and they have appreciated the nonsmoking,” she said.

Because the Gaslight features a different DJ or small live act every night, Midyett said the bar has been attracting an eclectic group of patrons, proving anyone can appreciate a nonsmoking atmosphere.

“The first week was better than I could have hoped for,” she said. “One night the bar was full of hippies with dreadlocks and the next it was punk rockers. We’ve had students, and we’ve had people from the neighborhood, and they have all been very complimentary about the no smoking.”

The Bella Lounge, 925 Iowa, is the only other nonsmoking bar in Lawrence. Owner Rob Farha said the Bella Lounge had not been doing as well as he thought it would, but that he would wait until it had been open a full year to come to any conclusions about the bar’s future. Like Midyett, though he operates a smoke-free bar, Farha said he did not support a citywide nonsmoking ordinance.

“Having the Gaslight open up gives the public another option if they want a nonsmoking environment,” he said. “There are choices out there. It’s not something the city should force every bar to do.”

Drawing on location

Despite being off the beaten path, Hines said the Gaslight Tavern’s north Lawrence location was not slowing down business.

“We’ve had lots of North Lawrence residents coming in, and they’re psyched about having a new neighborhood bar,” she said.

Micah Weichert, who is a the DJ at the Gaslight on Thursday nights, said he was happy to be part of an establishment that was bringing business to North Lawrence, an area he thinks has been neglected in the past. He also said the bar’s location was smart because it was within walking distance of downtown. If people are too lazy to make the walk, he hoped the rickshaws would convince them to come over.

Kansas University student Joe Lantz, on his first visit to the bar, said he didn’t think the rickshaws would be necessary.

“This bar is not far from anywhere,” he said. “You could be at Abe and Jake’s and throw a baseball and hit the place.”

Lantz said that while he didn’t smoke, he did come to the bar with a smoker and the no-smoking policy did not deter them. He said he was drawn to the bar by the music and that he would return.

Johnny’s Tavern owner Rick Renfro said he was happy to have a new neighbor and thought the Gaslight would bring more traffic to area. The two bars have separate parking lots.

“We’ll see how the parking situation goes, but anything that helps out this corner is a good thing,” he said.