Meet the Veteran Behind Barkyard and Tap, the Social Hub Southwest Florida Has Been Missing

Jamie Mammarelli sat down with SWFL Spotlight inside the MelloD Designs, Inc. production studio in North Fort Myers to share the story behind Barkyard and Tap, the concept she has been building since her military retirement and what she hopes it will mean for the Southwest Florida community.

The idea is simple in theory and surprisingly absent in practice: a social venue where people can enjoy a relaxed, taproom-style atmosphere alongside a dog park experience. For Jamie, it is not a bar. It is a third space. “You have your home, your work, and the life after is your third space,” she said during the interview.

Rio, her 12-year-old dog, joined her in the studio that day. His comfort in the room said something about the kind of spaces Jamie is working to create.

from service to small business

A Career Built on Mission and Purpose

Jamie joined the military straight out of high school, not because it was the plan, but because a recruiter walked into her workplace one afternoon and said four words that changed everything: “We pay for school.” She signed a contract the next day.

What started as a practical decision became a full career. She fell in love with the mission, the purpose, and the chance to give back. She served through the full arc of a military career and retired as a Sergeant First Class.

“Create a life that you don’t need a vacation from.”

That philosophy now guides the business she is building. “I’ve created that life with my stability in the military,” she said. “And now I’m creating that vacation lifestyle with doing what I love.”

Jamie credits her military background with giving her a leadership style and work ethic she doesn’t believe she would have developed any other way. “I believe that my military leadership gave me this ability to start this business, or if I don’t have the answers to something, look for them in certain places to be able to structure it to where it’s successful,” she said.

the concept that didn’t exist in southwest florida

Part Taproom, Part Dog Park, Entirely Its Own Thing

When Jamie began describing Barkyard and Tap to people in Southwest Florida, she was met with genuine confusion. “Dogs and alcohol? Dog park bar?” she recalled. Nobody seemed to know what she was describing.

What she had in mind was a concept she had encountered while moving around during her years of service. It combines a brewery taproom setting, casual, social, and laid back, with the freedom and community of a dog park. “Being able to put those two concepts together is what I needed to present this concept to everybody,” she said.

After retiring and settling in Southwest Florida, Jamie noticed the gap. Dog-friendly patios existed. Dog parks existed. But a dedicated space where both coexisted intentionally did not. She set out to fill it.

She has since built a network of partnerships with local breweries, wineries, and pet stores to host events that bring the concept to life. The business is currently running regular pop-up events and has grown from nothing to a recognized presence with vending and venue partners in place.

more than a dog park bar

Jamie Calls It a Social Hub. Her Customers Are Proving Her Right.

When Jamie first started pitching the concept, even she was calling it a dog park bar. She has since rethought that framing entirely.

“I feel like it’s a social venue,” she said. She now uses the term “social hub” because what she is building is rooted in community, not consumption. The goal is not a rowdy night out. It is a relaxed, welcoming place where people feel comfortable, where their dogs are welcome, and where connection happens naturally.

“It’s community. It’s being with what makes you happy and where it makes you happy.”

Jamie Mammarelli

For Jamie, that ideal version of Barkyard and Tap is a brick-and-mortar location with both indoor and outdoor spaces. The indoor area would accommodate off-leash and on-leash options, recognizing that not every guest wants dogs running freely around them. The outdoor space would give dogs room to move and people room to enjoy the Southwest Florida sunshine, humidity and all.

“I want to make it a social place for everyone,” she said.

putting it on paper

FGCU and the Florida Veterans Program Are Helping Turn the Vision into a Business

After her retirement, Jamie enrolled full time at Florida Gulf Coast University in the entrepreneurship program. She is completing a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship with a minor in marketing and is set to graduate this fall.

She credits the program and its instructors with giving her the tools to take Barkyard and Tap from a concept to a structured business. “They have phenomenal instructors that have real life experience that have helped me put that into my business and my new passion,” she said.

Jamie was also selected for the first cohort of the Florida Veterans Program, which she describes as the foundation for her transition from everyday military life into entrepreneurship. Through the program, she presented her business, demonstrated demand through the events she had already built, and was awarded $10,000 in seed funding.

“I’ve built it up from nothing,” she said. “And now I have vending partners and venue partners and we’re creating events regularly for people to come out to.”

That funding puts her one step closer to her long-term goal: a brick-and-mortar location where Barkyard and Tap can exist permanently.

the dogs behind the dream

Rio, Hunter, and Athena: The Real Driving Force

If there is a founding story within the founding story, it belongs to Jamie’s dogs.

Hunter was her first dog, adopted after her first deployment. He traveled everywhere with her during her years of service and was part of her life for nearly 13 years. Rio came along when Hunter was four. He turned 12 in June and was in the studio for the interview, characteristically soaking up attention.

“They literally have given me every bit of momentum I’ve had through my whole adult life,” Jamie said.

The family recently added a third. On New Year’s Eve, Jamie found a dog curled up in a roadside ditch. No tags. No microchip. No way home. Jamie brought her in, got her checked out, and welcomed her into the household. They named her Athena.

Rio is still warming up. But Jamie believes the timing meant something. “Hunter sent her to be with us to help us move forward in what we’re doing in life,” she said.