You've heard of the bar where "everybody knows your name," but how about one where "everybody owns the place?"

Some Austin residents are working to create the state's first co-op beer pub in the European sense of the word. The Black Star Pub is the brainchild of Steven Wyarak, who had lived in Belgium and liked the quality of beer and pub atmosphere there.

"We're starting up a community-owned bar here in town. I wanted to do something cooperative, something that would involve the community [and see] what options are out there, what can we do?" Wyarak said.

The idea was also inspired by co-op pubs in Ireland, and Wyarak said Austin is the perfect place for its Texas debut.

"If there is a place for this to happen, Austin is where it should happen," he said.

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	Co-op bar The Black Star Pub will be Austin's first community-owned bar run by its members.

Through word of mouth and the Internet the idea of a bar owned by the regulars has gained a following. The group meets every Wednesday at Café Mundi and Saturday at a house on Cesar Chavez. Organizers are still trying to raise capital – the idea that if 100 people pitch in $100 they’ll start with $10,000 in capital.

"You get a vote in everything that goes on from the beer we serve to the air conditioning,” Wyarak said.

Wyarak envisions a beer bar where members pay happy hour prices all the time, and the choices will be discriminating, with a rotating selection of between eight – 200 beers on tap.

"I think this is a good opportunity to change the paradigm of how bars work in America," supporter Darryl Verret said.

The location of the Black Star Pub is very important. Right now, all fingers point to East Austin, where Wyarak is looking at an abandoned building on Seventh and Lydia Street near the Texas State Cemetery.

"East Austin is really a resurging area of town and there's trying to be a lot of revitalization going on here and we want to be part of that,” Wyarak said.

Members hope to choose a location and open sometime this summer.