The Jim Sports Lounge — Our Upstairs Sports Sanctuary (Named After a Legend)

Joanne Guzman
Oct 15
3 min read

If you’ve been around Bruno’s for a while, you already know:

The Jim isn’t just a room. It’s a whole personality.

Named after Jo’s dad — Big Jim Purdy — the man, the myth, the center of attention (and yes, he has his own blog post, as he should) — this space has been part sports lounge, part neighborhood living room, part comedy show, and part therapy session.

But it didn’t start out that way.

Before There Was “The Jim,” There Was… One Big Confusing Room

When we bought Bruno’s, the entire upstairs was one giant, open, awkward space connected to the banquet room. There was a bar, but none of the previous tenants had ever been able to figure out how to make it work consistently.

Events would book… and suddenly the whole upstairs would close to the public.

Regulars never knew if The Jim was open or shut.

And the décor?

Well… let’s just say the photos speak for themselves.

*Before: One big carpeted mystery room… and yes, that carpet smells exactly the way you think it does.*

We Hit the Ground Running — Giant Couches, Games, and the First NFL Ticket in Town

Right away, we hauled up a giant sectional couch (shoutout to Micah for the TV wall idea too!), opened the bar, and turned the space into Scotty’s best-kept secret:

Pool table
Foosball
Ping pong
Cornhole
Shuffleboard (thanks Brent & Mo!)
AND the very first NFL Ticket in Scotts Valley

“Honey, I’m heading to The Jim,” became code… wink wink.

And it worked — boy, did it work.

We became THE place to watch sports.

Year after year, we won Best Place to Watch Sports in the entire Santa Cruz County from multiple publications.

And then came the problem no one warns you about…

Unattended Kids + Games = Bankruptcy

Despite our signs politely reminding parents to supervise their children —(“Unattended kids will be given caffeine and a puppy”) —the games kept getting destroyed.

Sadly, (especially for the parents and kids who played by the rules) piece by piece, the games left the building… except the pool table, because that thing is built like a tank.

Cornhole and ping pong were relocated to the adults-only lounge “The Last Stop,” where they now live a much safer, happier life along with their cousin Beer Pong.

We loved the giant couches, but the 10am all day coffee campers and soda-fueled toddlers jumping on them finally broke us. Monthly couch cleanings? No thank you.

So we did what we always do:

We got creative.

We built custom barrel tables (thanks Bryce and Brent for helping dimples get 'er done), so people could gather in small groups, hoot, holler, and still see the screens from every angle.

And Then Came the Biggest Transformation of All

Let’s talk glow-up:

The infamous grey carpet? Ripped out entirely.

(It covered the stairs too — we restored the original wood and rebuilt the landings to perfection.)

The drop ceiling tiles? Gone.

Replaced with a sleek black ceiling that completely changed the vibe.

Those terrible old ceiling lights?

Replaced with big, beautiful Edison pendants.

The stained glass ceiling?

We lit it up from behind so it finally shines the way it was meant to — and OMG does it glow.

The walls?

Repainted in the signature Bruno’s turquoise to match Cloud 9.

And then the crown jewel:

A giant 130” TV wall that makes every game feel like you’re on the field.

Before & After Photos

*Before: This carpet held so many secrets. None of which we wanted.*

*Before: The drop-ceiling era we do NOT speak of.*

*After: That black ceiling + Edison bulbs? Chef’s kiss.*

*After: Triple TV wall + Pool Table = every sports fan’s love language.*

*After: The stained glass ceiling finally glowing like the masterpiece it is.*

*After: The 130-inch TV wall - We don't need a stadium, we have this wall.*

The Jim Today

We host:

Live music
Trivia nights
Private parties
Wedding events
Playoff watch parties
Sunday Funday NFL madness
And the loudest, most joyful Warriors, Giants & 49er fans anywhere in the county