Visitors of Point Ruston, a scenic neighborhood of Tacoma, Wash., located on the Puget Sound waterfront, were in for a surprise Saturday when they ventured into O Bee Credit Union's newly-opened branch. Fitting in nicely among the brewery-rich communities of the Pacific Northwest, the branch looks and feels much more like a place to enjoy a cold one than open a savings account.

The design of the $293 million, Tumwater, Wash.-based O Bee's sixth branch is a nod to its history serving the Northwest beer-maker community. It was founded in 1955 by Ted McGill, an Olympia Brewery worker, and grew to serve many employees of the brewery. There are four other beer brands that Olympia Brewery at one time owned, including Rainier and Pabst Blue Ribbon; many members proudly show off one of these brands' logos on their payment card. The credit union is now open to anyone who lives and works in Washington State, and has approximately 30,000 members.

"This is our first step into Pierce County [Washington]," O Bee Vice President of Marketing Lee Wojnar told CU Times of the new branch. "If you think about it, banking has become so impersonal. We wanted something that was really unique to our heritage and who we are, and it's a celebration of our past, the beers and now with the onslaught of all the new microbrews, it just enhances that whole idea of coming into someplace where you're welcomed. The new branches are so high-tech, and even though we're high-tech, it's high-tech with a spin. You feel comfortable. Studies have shown that when you're involved in an environment you feel comfortable with, it builds trust in that relationship."