Since 1962, Rosie Teague has treated her customers at one of Aberdeen’s oldest clubs — the 40 et 8 — like family.
Whether or not those extended family members started with her at the old 40 et 8 location in town — on the corner of Wishkah and G Streets — or if they just turned 21, Rosie can’t wait to serve them at the club — 2313 Simpson Ave, in Aberdeen.
Rosie hopes to serve more members at the one-story space, which has pool tables, table seating, bar seating and TVs that show live sports, plus a jukebox full of oldies and newer songs. Other members also want more friends to join the club.
Rosie worked at the 40 et 8’s downtown location for 36 of the 40 years it was there and she has been working at the Simpson Avenue location since June 7, 1999, when it opened. She’ll hit her 25th year next June, which will make 61 years combined that Teague’s been pouring shots, highballs, or popping open cold cans of beer. And still, she works most days. People love her for it.
“I’ve loved it,” Rosie said about her time tending bar and managing the club. “This place has been like my home, you know? My mother used to say ‘you need to run your finances like you do the 40 et 8’s.’”
What is the 40 et 8?
People unfamiliar with the 40 et 8 ask “What?” when they hear for the first time the name of the club. So here’s the skinny on what it is, according to a framed description of the nonprofit organization:
“La Society des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux is an independent, by invitation, honor organization of male and female U.S. veterans, more commonly known as the Forty & Eight,” the framed description states. “The Forty & Eight is committed to charitable and patriotic aims. Our purpose is to uphold and defend the United States Constitution, to promote the well-being of veterans and their widows and orphans, and to actively participate in selected charitable endeavors, which include programs that promote child welfare and nurse’s training.”
The 40 et 8 started in 1920, according to the nonprofit’s website. It’s for honorably discharged veterans and honorably serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces. It’s also for social members.
Chuck Aubert, a military veteran member, brought up the need to get information out to the public to let people know the 40 et 8 exists and it needs members. While the club is by invitation only, the rules to join are less strict than they used to be.
Rosie remembers when the club only served veterans. They were also allowed to join only if they were wartime veterans. But that was many years ago. The policy has changed to allow all veterans, as well as social members, which has been good for the club.
“If it wasn’t for the social members, the place couldn’t even stay open,” Rosie said, before sharing the club has 125 total members. “Most of the members are old. My brother’s 90. He’s been a member for 55 years.”
The club’s features
In addition to the pool tables that get a lot of play, the TVs showing Seahawks games — including the “biggest screen in town,” enough seating for a large gathering, and the bar that usually fills up on weekends and sometimes during the week, the club’s jukebox, which is cash only, is another popular feature of the club.
Most days, the jukebox gets the environment inside the club “rockin’ and rollin’” with classic songs from Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Phil Collins and many others. The jukebox, which also plays newer music, is one piece that attracted Aubert.
“A lot of oldies on that,” Aubert said. “That’s what drew my wife and I to it, because they have old music.”
The club is also open from 3 to 9 p.m., seven days per week. According to Rosie, the club will open for any Seahawks games that start at 1 p.m.
While sharing the information for the club was a prime reason to tell a story about it, the story could not be told without including Rosie.
Why? She is the club, as a couple members have said. People don’t just say “Let’s go to the 40.” They say “I’m going to see Rosie.” Telling her that brought a twinkle to her eye and a smile to her face.
Rosie still runs the bar the same way as she did nearly 57 years ago.
“They made me manager Dec. 1, 1966,” Rosie said. “And, I don’t know, I’ve always loved it. I’ve loved everything I’ve done. My customers were my first priority. And every girl I’ve hired, I said ‘no matter what, if your customer don’t tip, you treat him the same as the guy who tipped.’ Back in the day, people didn’t tip like they do today. A lot of times, you were lucky if you got a quarter. A good night on a Friday night would be maybe $20 for me.”
A couple of Rosie’s cherished memories
“Oh god, I couldn’t even say what my favorite one was. I have so many of them really,” Rosie said. “I’d have to think about that to see what my favorite one was.”
Rosie said the club was so different from what it is today. But, what hasn’t changed is her love for the customers because serving them might be the best part of the job. She talked about two of her favorite social members.
“I’ve got a lot of good customers,” Rosie said. “ Bryce (Romero) from The Tap Room, he’s my No. 1 favorite. He’s like my grandkid, great-grandkid practically. He’s so willing to help, he’s always wanting to do something, throw a party for me, do something. In fact we’re gonna have his birthday party down here. I think the plan is for Dec. 29, because he’ll be 30.”
Romero feels the same about Rosie.
“Rosie is like a grandmother to me,” Romero said. “She’s always treated me well. She takes care of the club the best she can. She’s probably the longest tenured bartender on Grays Harbor. I don’t know anybody in the service industry who is older than her working. She really takes pride in that place. It speaks volumes. I know my friends really like her and going there.”
Celebrating the club’s members has been a highlight. In the past the 40 et 8 has hosted weddings, birthdays, milestones and memorial services. Rosie shared one event that she holds dear to her heart.
“I think one of my favorite moments is … it was a funeral we had for Jimmy Richards. He was our mailman. Just the greatest guy,” Rosie said. “Anyway, when he passed away, we had his celebration of life here. This place, there was close to 300 people here … that’s how many signed the book. It was the biggest night we ever had. We made over $4,000. I cut everybody off at 10 o’clock. They all had enough by 10 o’clock that night. I think it started around 4 and by 10, I said ‘I’m sorry you guys, but everybody’s had enough.’ It’s a hard thing to do with that kind of crowd, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. And you couldn’t just cut off one or two.”
Rosie said she and everyone else from the club still miss Jimmy. He died in 2015.
“He was such a great kid,” Rosie said. “Every night after work I knew exactly when the door opened that it was him coming through the door to have his drink after work.”
She still keeps a memento to remember Richards on her office wall, as she does for other members she remembers fondly. One of those mementos is a poem her friend Nancy Bjornduhl wrote for Rosie. While the framed poem’s calligraphy work has faded a little bit, it’s still clear enough to read. Here’s an excerpt from the end of the poem, which shows some of the appreciation club members, past and current, have for Rosie:
“Just ask anyone what she’s done,” the poem states. “Be there anniversaries, weddings, X-Mas or birthdays — Rosie’s gives gifts large & small, not to a few but almost all. Now here’s a toast to Rosalie because it’s her day to turn fifty.”
One of the parts of the poem, which includes a longstanding rule at the club, makes Rosie laugh. It points out how she’s “frugal.” But that frugality has helped Rosie run the club to this day.
“They still kid me because I always say ‘one straw.’ That’s all you get, is one straw per night,” Rosie said. “Don’t be dropping it on the floor. If you drop it I’m gonna wash it off.”
While at least a few members see Rosie as “the club” she’s thankful for the help she has on staff.
“There’s only two (bartenders), it’s me and Tabitha,” Rosie said. “And then I’ve got two girls who donate their time. Barrie usually comes in when I’m here. She does a lot of cleanup.”
Rosie said bartending isn’t usually a longtime gig, like it has been for her.
“There’s not too many people who want to make a career of this,” Rosie said. “Usually people who take these kind of jobs, especially young girls, it’s just to get them through college, or whatever. I was just one of the ones who stuck around forever.”
Barrie Mcmillan, to whom Rosie referred earlier, spoke highly of the club, of Rosie and of Rosie’s family members, who worked at the club for many years as well.
“It’s been a wonderful place for many years,” Mcmillan said. “And Rosie’s done a wonderful job for many years, she and her family. Her granddaughter worked there, her sister worked there, her daughter worked there. It’s been run really nice and it’s been a nice thing for the military and their families. She’s dedicated her life to it, that’s pretty awesome.”
Through that time, Mcmillan said there have been “countless dinners, events, benefits for sick people, benefits for everything.”
“It seems she’s always been there for anyone who needs it, whether it’s been the homeless guy on the street, she’s always been there for people, for anyone in need — family, friend or stranger,” Mcmillan said.
Why join? It’s an outlier
“It’s a different vibe compared to a lot of places in town,” Romero said. “It’s hard to explain. Maybe it’s the music or the customers, or just the fact that it’s been around so long. I just like going there.”
The next event for the 40 et 8 is the Potato Bake, which comes with a bowl of chili and “all the fixings you want,” according to the club’s Facebook page. The sign-up sheet is at the bar. There will also be a 50/50 drawing that night. The event is set for Nov. 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. It costs $9.
For more information about the club, search “40 et 8 Aberdeen Washington” on Facebook.
Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World This framed plaque is among the art hanging on a wall near the bar at Aberdeen’s 40 et 8. The plaque explains what the 40 et 8 is — “an independent, by invitation, honor organization of male and female U.S. veterans, more commonly known as the Forty Eight.” The organization started in 1920. Aberdeen’s 40 et 8 has had two locations, one at the corner of Wishkah and G streets, which stood from 1958 until 1998, and then the current building. The current 40 et 8 club, which now allows social members, has been at 2313 Simpson Ave., in Aberdeen since 1999.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World A look at the old 40 et 8 shows at least a few of the familiar leather chairs inside the current club — 2313 Simpson Ave., in Aberdeen. The chairs, for the most part, have stood the test of time because they are still comfortable.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Nancy Bjornduhl’s framed poem she wrote for Rosie, the longest working bartender the club’s ever known, shows the appreciation people have for Rosie.
