When we first started working with the awesome crew at Finn’s Neighborhood Pub here in Manhattan, Kansas, the goal was pretty simple — make a site that felt like the place itself. We wanted it to be loud, welcoming, warm, and full of local personality. Not just another pub website with a stock photo and a phone number. Something that felt alive and local, like walking in the door on a Friday night.
The challenge was translating that kind of real neighborhood vibe into something that works across every screen size. Using WordPress with Bricks Builder, I built the site to be fully modular — so every section can grow and change as the owners need. For Kansas businesses, that’s a huge deal; you don’t wanna rely on devs for every little update or Friday karaoke night change.
This build really became a mix of creative flexibility and technical structure. Each component lives inside a clean system, but the content feels casual and spontaneous — kinda like the bar itself.
Under the hood, this site runs on a tight setup: Automatic CSS handles the sizing and typography grid, MicroThemer takes care of fine tuning, and Advanced Themer keeps everything scoped and neat. Every class follows the BEM (Block–Element–Modifier) method, so no rogue styles are breaking anything down the road. That’s the kinda stuff that saves you big headaches later.
Grid Builder powers the events and drink menu pages. Visitors can filter by day or drink type without leaving the page — just simple, smooth UX. Underneath that is a smart structure of custom post types and fields that makes it super easy for the Finn’s team to keep the info fresh.
From live music nights to industry Monday promos, everything’s connected behind the scenes. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s efficient. That’s the trifecta we were shooting for.
We didn’t want Finn’s to look like the same cookie-cutter nightlife site you see everywhere. Bricks Builder let me layer the layout with personality — full-bleed photos, overlays, split heros, and tones that match the amber lights of the bar. Those small touches make a big diffrence in feel.
There were some “happy accident’s” too — a hover effect that just looked better by chance, or a gradient that gave depth where flat color didn’t. That’s the cool part of designing by feel instead of pure template logic. Sometimes things just land right because you’re in the zone.
Search optimization was baked in from the start. Every heading and meta field uses local intent keywords like “Live Music in Manhattan Kansas” and “Neighborhood Pub in Downtown Manhattan KS.” But it’s not about stuffing terms — it’s about sounding like a real local biz that actually lives here. That balance between authenticity and SEO is what keeps traffic and trust steady over time.
The footer tag, “Designed by MKS Web Design,” reinforces local trust and Kansas pride. I like to think of it as my small signature — Kansas craftsmanship with a modern digital twist.
Every Kansas project I take on has a story behind it, and this one’s all about community. Finn’s is a bar where laughter and live music mix with friendship. My job was to make that feeling show up online. That’s why this build means a lot to me — it’s more than pixels, it’s personality.
Sometimes the best part of web design isn’t the technical side — it’s helping a local biz get seen and celebrated for who they already are. That’s what MKS Web Design does best. Real Kansas brands, real stories, built with precision and a lot of care.
If you’re a Kansas business owner and want to create a site that actually feels alive, let’s chat. Because every great project starts with a simple idea and someone who cares enough to build it right.
