Some of you may have noticed a few changes being made at Barley's in recent weeks. A new bar is going into place on the ground floor, the upstairs is being renovated and is currently closed, the patio will (from what I've heard) be covered and more seating will be made available as a result of the redesign. Kudos to Barley's on this....
But what about our beloved Trolley? The pint night hostess told me last night that it will disappear when the renovations are finished. Why oh why!? I'll be the first to admit, I have been going to Barley's for several years now and only recently noticed that the downstairs bar is a trolley. After this revelation however, my beloved Monday and Tuesday (and sometimes Wednesday and Friday) hangout spot became even more special to me. I love to think that my IPA addiction is fed by a Trolley. The Trolley.
So Barley's, what is it? What will you do with the Trolley? After talking to several people about its imminent disappearance, they either A) didn't realize it was a trolley, but when they did instantly loved it or B) were shocked and saddened by the news.
I would like to suggest something... If it is indeed going to be firewood in a couple of weeks, why not just auction the thing off for a worthy cause? I'd pay good money for one of those windows with the beer listing chalked on it. Seriously, dibs on the IPA listing.
For now, I suggest enjoying a pint or three while gazing longingly into the mirrored windows behind the bar. I look forward to a new improved Barley's experience but with a little bittersweet feeling as I will miss a component that gave the place a lot of character.
Cheers.
max.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A love letter to Barley's
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14 comments:
Knoxville has weird things about it!? And I thought it was all good. Talk about having my illusions squashed.
yeah snowbrush. who knew?
I'll miss the trolley, for sure, but the Barley's peeps say the new bar location will allow them to tap the same kegs both upstairs and down ... I'm all for having the full beer selection upstairs.
that is sad. couldn't they just pick it up and put it on the other side? easy.
The Trolley has been there since it was a Spaghetti Warehouse! They even had to remove a beam to get it over there. I can see the logic in having the full bear selection upstairs (and how about leveling the floor so my husband can't blame his missed pool shot on them anymore)but I will miss the trolley- it adds quite a bit of charm.
When it was Spaghetti Warehouse the trolley sat in the center, and if memory serves me, there where booths inside the trolley to sit at. It's a bummer but I think it will actually open up some space and having the ful beer selection upstairs is a big plus.
Ok, I never knew that was a Spaghetti Warehouse, but that explains so much about that place now, including the trolley.
yeah i knew it was a spaghetti warehouse at one point. i think if you look carefully at the paint outside you can see the last dregs of their advertising.
i forgot about sitting IN the trolley... what fun.
We were looking at the stained glass just a while ago...tell me that stuff wouldn't look wonderful in the foyer of a remodeled 4th and Gill residence...
Max, do you know it's fate for sure is to become firewood?
I could see them auctioning parts of it off one night in Barley's to raise money for their renovations.
Or they could donate it to Knox Heritage's salvage yard, which in turn would make it accessible to people remodeling older homes.
two employees told me it will be gone.
I worked at Barleys a few years ago under the original owners and helped move the trolley from it's old location.
We basically cut the car into pieces that could be carried to the dumpster and saved the panel that is what most people are used to seeing with the taps and chalkboards.
That piece of the trolley that you are used to seeing was the back side of the trolley facing away from the bar/dining area.
After removing all of the trolley that we weren't keeping we had that one long panel left. It took 10-15 people to then carry it in one piece out to Jackson, turn it around and then carry it back in so that it could be attached to the keg cooler.
That job wore out more sawsall blades than I've ever seen in one place, and the job remains one of the cooler memories of my time at Barleys. I'll always remember standing past the safe step on the ladder dragging an electric saw through that sheet metal.
Wondering about the logistics of acquiring a beer with the new changes.. anyone know if the stage is staying in the same place?
MB: Yes. Only the bar and the booths that were on the far wall are moving.
If anything, it might improve traffic flow around the stage since it was sometimes hard to get through when there was a crowd both at the bar and around the stage.
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