At one point Courtney and I ran a youtube channel sharing our entrepreneurial journey, and we enjoyed it, well to a point. I swear we filmed some of the same shit over and over because I’d make a dumb face, the dog would bark at a squirrel, or Courtney would meow at a lizard. It was fun, funny, and there is some really hilarious “lost footage”. Through all of that we learned that a view into our daily rationale and ongoings of work where enjoyed by many, but ultimately it was a lot of effort, and we couldn’t maintain. Part of this journal is to revive that, but in a more intimate way. Back to the bar!

Delays, of course!

No project is complete without em’. Literally, the entire process of inception to launch when you are in the know feels like one big delay. While we’ve had delays, for the most part they’ve all been happy little delays. At the end of the day Bevel Bar is a project of passion and we refuse to rush or force any detail, even if it means finding out the stools we want take an additional twelve weeks to get here…

Happy Delays

Courtney and I have had a lot going on with the growth of Axe and Awl, and the loss of our sister store Cultivate Garden Shop. Business partners have moved, business roles have shifted and strategies for growth and scaling have been enacted or adjusted. One really beautiful part of the chaos over this last season has been earning the opportunity to become part owners of a remarkable indie apparel brand, Hook and Irons Co. This came as a wholesome opportunity and put us working alongside some long time friends who we admire both personally and professionally. If the Mays’ find themselves reading this pinch yourself, don’t get stuck near the ceiling fan! These delays have allowed us to further refine steps of service and think through how we want you to interact with Waynesville’s newest cocktail bar once we get opened up.

Bar Progress

This week we got confirmation on shipment of our actual bar unit! We should have it in house by the end of July, and the bar build is off!

We also started exposing walls and bringing more of the buildings authenticity to light. The next month will be as we see things start to really take shape. Ultimately, that means we’ll be able to start planning an opening date!!

A cocktail bar owners journey

This journal is from the lens of new bar owners, and the journey along the way. We look forward to sharing the path we took to conceptualizing a bar concept, piloting it in a retail store in Downtown Waynesville, NC, conceptualizing it again, and the steps it took to get to where we are now. Don’t worry, we won’t skip the gritty parts, less face it, what better place to share candid experiences than a blog hosted on a cocktail lounge website.

If you like honest, often hilarious and sometimes serious stories, you’re going to enjoy what’s to come, we promise. If you want to stay in the loop for future entries, grab a seat via the sign up form on our homepage, we’ll always do our best to give you a laugh until your next visit!

A Waynesville Cocktail Bar is being born

Imagine living somewhere that is a bit sleepy of a town, and the nightlife opportunities are limited. Ok, no problem, we’re easy going. We get joy out of the simple things; spending time with family and friends, kicking rocks, people watching, traveling to other cities, petting cats, scratching donkeys, and being well busy with life. With this in mind, which i’m sure you can relate in some ways, maybe all ways is that our time is precious. We all value it and want to have a good time when we can.

While the few options in town do a great job of keeping you entertained, fed, and libated. It’s always nice to have the “i wish we had a…..” actually come to life. That’s the debating with your partner “what are we doing tonight”, in between the “what do you want to eats”, not far from the “i just don’t want to decides”, lands the “I wish we had a….”.

what? wish we had a what?…..”I wish we had a burrito joint that is like Mamacitas in Asheville“. I know, we can all agree this needs to happen immediately, but. I’m not here with that news, sadly. The news i can deliver though, is that at some point we both looked at each other and said “I wish we had a cocktail lounge”.

Cocktail Bar wishes, sometimes turn into the real freaking deal

Ok, but you cant kind of commit, the level of entry has to be something different than what exists, and well, we’ve got a particular feeling we want to evoke, and we need to learn(like really learn) how to make cocktails, and the space, and the hours open, and the permits, and the…….ok, lets try it.

This is where most of our ventures start, and the story of Bevel Bar is no different…

Until next time friends,

Spencer