(Makenli Plagmann is the sole proprietor of The Beer Vault | Photo Courtesy of The Beer Vault)
Bend resident Makenli Plagmann was 18 years old when she started The Beer Vault, a mobile bar with bartending services.
Now 21 years old, Plagmann said her path to being the sole proprietor of The Beer Vault was one paved with the priceless lessons she learned in her teens. At 15, she left Marshall High School in Bend and began working as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. “I was a bit of a rebellious kid in the sense I was free-spirited,” she said. “I was labeled as academically gifted, and high school was incredibly boring for me.”
For the next three years, she honed her customer service skills working as a personal shopper and the manager at a coffee shop, while earning her GED at age 18.
An old delivery truck sparked her curiosity, spurring her to buy it in 2018 and researching what to do with it. “I thought about starting a moving company, then a food truck,” she said. “The more research I did, the more I realized I wanted to do something else, so that’s where the idea of The Beer Vault came.”
Along with her boyfriend, Nicholas Lane, she spent more than two months converting the truck into storage space for beer kegs and dry goods. “If it wasn’t for Nicholas’ support and his belief in me, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” she said. “His love and faith in me make me strive to do better every day.”
Still working as a personal shopper, she would share her vision for The Beer Vault with her clients, saying she learned that if she wanted her business to succeed, she had to promote it. Her first event was the last weekend of August in 2018. She had seven events in 2018, 21 in 2019 and four in 2020 because everything was canceled due to the pandemic. “This year, we are booked every weekend May to October with some events being booked in November and December. We already have 12 events booked for 2022,” she said.
Plagmann said this is the first year she is not working two jobs, adding she’s planning to hire a full-time bartender and two servers for 2022 to manage the beer truck and the beer trailer.
“I take pride in knowing I am running a successful business where I can pay my bills every month and save for my next goal to open a coffee shop,” she said. “I like waking up every morning knowing the choices I make determine what happens with my business.”
An ambassador for the Redmond Chamber of Commerce, Melanie Hirata recalls seeing The Beer Vault in Redmond’s Fourth of July parade in 2019. “I started following Makenli on social media, really impressed with what she was doing to promote her business,” said Hirata, who is an independent consultant for Mary Kay and the owner and yoga teacher of Silver Fenix LLC. “I met her at Music on the Greens to welcome her to the chamber. She has a natural drive to succeed and is goal oriented. What makes her a successful businesswoman is she truly understands the importance of hospitality and providing great customer service. She loves what she does, and it shows.”
Plagmann has worked at weddings, reunions, corporate events, festivals and more. Pamela Myhre and Adam Settell separately hired Plagmann for their individual events. “Makenli was amazing to work with,” Settell said. “She is extremely organized, friendly and a great person to have on your big day.”
Myhre said Plagmann was the best vendor that she hired for her daughter’s wedding. “Makenli brings a sense of whimsy and happiness,” Myhre said. “She’s extremely professional but also super fun and nice. We loved having them help celebrate my daughter’s special day.”
Plagmann said her Monday-through-Wednesday tasks include scheduling social media posts, double checking details and permits with the OLCC, answering emails and phone calls, ordering supplies and going over the details for the events on Thursdays through Sundays.
The most challenging part of having her own business is when someone tells her they are not interested in what she does. “I think that is what pushes me to provide exceptional service every time someone does hire us for an event. It’s my way of saying thank you for their support,” she said. “I love working with people and doing things that make them happy or make their day special.”
bendbeervault.com • 541-300-1067
