BURGAW — A building near the courthouse square in downtown Burgaw is slated to become a bar after commissioners approved its forward movement last week.
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Property owners Eddie and Melissa Yarborough are renovating 107 W. Courthouse Ave. over the coming months. It will include pool tables, dart boards, karaoke, an outdoor area for cornhole and plenty of TVs, both indoors and outdoors, to catch the games.
“Ultimately, the sports bar will become what the community is receptive to,” Eddie Yarborough told Port City Daily Tuesday.
The Yarboroughs contend the business will contribute to the local economy, create jobs and enhance the area’s growth, providing a social hub for Burgaw residents to gather and mingle.
At the April 8 commissioners meeting, the couple was granted a conditional rezoning in the B-1 district, for permitted use for a nightlife or cocktail lounge. The sports bar is tentatively called “Craig’s Place” after Melissa’s father, who originally purchased the then-condemned building in 1996 and brought it back to life.
“The restaurant coming across the street is going to be named Patty’s Place,” Yarborough explained; it’s opening from Khristen Hunter, winner of Burgaw’s Own Your Own, and investor Richard Johnson. “So maybe I’ll change ours to Craig’s Corner or something. But nothing is set in stone.”
Yarborough presented an 1,800-square-foot draft blueprint to commissioners but is meeting with Blair Goodrich of Wilmington’s Goodrich Architecture to devise more formalized plans this week. Goodrich is familiar with the building, having worked on it in the mid-‘90s for Melissa’s father.
The building was constructed in 1901, according to property records, and has a few residential apartments upstairs on the second floor. China King is located on the south end of the property facing Fremont Street and the Yarboroughs are converting the vacant north end of the space into the pub.
They also purchased the lot beside the building facing the alleyway, slated to become an outdoor area for Craig’s Place. Yarborough wants to add double doors for visitors to access indoor and outdoor areas seamlessly. Plans include replacing the current fencing with a wrought-iron or see-through fence for better visibility of the surrounding downtown area.
He also wants to install large windows to overlook the side of the property facing Dees Park. Lighting would be installed to illuminate the area more effectively as well.
“We want games inside and outside,” Yarborough detailed to commissioners. “And if it works out, maybe we can do small bands and have live music during certain times of the year.”
Burgaw town code notes music cannot be audible to people on adjacent properties after 10 p.m., so the bar will have to comply with all ordinances.
Noise was among project concerns at the March planning board meeting. Four people signed up to speak, including Leddell Casey, who lives near Burgaw Brewing around the corner from Craig’s Place.
“How many watering holes do we need in Burgaw?” he asked the planning board.
Yarborough told PCD Tuesday: “I think, technically, this will be the only true sports bar in town.”
He explained there are bars that also are restaurants, such as Burgaw Brewing and Harvey’s Deli and Tavern, and pointed to the new Retro Meadery opened nearby on Dickerson Street. Yarborough told commissioners during the meeting he toyed with the idea of making Craig’s Place a grill as well.
“But adding a kitchen, it’s costly,” he said. “And of course there is a restaurant opening right across the street, which I like. But maybe a little further along, when we open, we will reconsider it.”
For now, the group plans to stock pre-packaged foods to sell out of the bar, though they also would like to have food trucks on site as allowed by the town. The food trucks would have to be permitted by Burgaw’s Parks and Recreation Department.
John Westbrook — who owns Burgaw Antique Place — spoke in favor to the planning board and said a sports bar adds to the mix of businesses in the area, making downtown Burgaw even more of a draw.
“It will be a real complement to the park,” he said, “but the town needs to do its part.”
Westbrook told Yarborough to lobby the town to ensure sidewalks and curbs are redone and lighting and landscaping are also updated in the area.
Two community meetings also were held and four people showed up, with planning documents noting feedback to be “positive and supportive.”
“I’m in favor of anything that will make that building look better,” Commissioner William Rivenbark said at the commissioner April 8 meeting.
Yarborough told the elected officials he already began making progress and painted the structure. He plans to handle a lot of the renovation himself, with the help of contractors as needed.
Rivenbark inquired whether noise would be a problem between the bar and residences above. Yarborough said years ago 2 inches of concrete were “pumped into the floors” to help deafen the sound between the first and second stories.
“The fella above the China King has been there for 10 years and never said anything to me about noise below him,” Yarborough said. “I think this will be a good addition to what’s already there.”
Commissioner Michael Pearsall agreed. He explained Harvey’s serves the older crowd, Burgaw Brewery seems to appeal to families and thought a sports bar would attract millennials and Gen Z.
“I think it’s catering to what’s coming to Burgaw,” Pearsall said, adding the strip is an ideal location since few neighbors were around.
Rivenbark asked Burgaw Planning Director Ron Meredith if there were zoning issues with the upstairs apartments, to which he informed there wasn’t.
“There’s an upper story residential in many locations through downtown,” Meredith answered, counting roughly seven, also confirming data was provided to fire and police in the event of an emergency. “That’s a good model to have — these upper story residentials because you create more of a mixed-use in some affordable housing situations.”
Commissioner William George surmised as Burgaw continues to grow there could be a problem with parking in the area. The sports bar faces a one-way street.
“If this thing gets going, there’s going to be cars everywhere,” George said. “That’s something for us to consider.”
The street is often closed for special events in the town square, such as June’s Blueberry Festival. Mayor Pro Tem James Malloy queried if Yarborough considered that problematic.
“Oh, no — honestly, those events should help,” he said.
Hours are expected to be Thursday through Monday, closing by 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Yarborough told PCD he plans to lean into the sports bar theme, by bringing in local county sports regalia, as well as statewide college football and basketball memorabilia. An NFL football fan, he said it will likely be a place for Carolina Panthers fans to gather on gameday as well.
“I’m a San Francisco 49ers fan myself, have been since I was a child,” he said, but added he is a Tar Heel fan and also supports App State, East Carolina and other North Carolina colleges. “We will definitely have support for our local teams. Young folks these days love college sports, we will have a draw for teams.”
Staff said the project was consistent with the future land use map classification, identified within the town center, and with Burgaw’s land-use plan, in that the project promotes infill and commercial development, as well as downtown tourism.
Commissioners passed the rezoning unanimously upon the planning board’s voted 4-0 recommendation last month. Yarborough told the planning board he doesn’t anticipate the bar opening until next year.
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