Self-pour bar The Studio opens officially in January — but here’s how to get in now
Any new bar with a Lite-Brite beside its cash register is surely getting things off to a good start, are we right?
Hoppin’ Brands (of Hoppin’ in South End and Pinhouse near Plaza Midwood) has a new project: The Studio will open at 2501 South Blvd., between Mac’s Speed Shop and SouthBound Restaurant.
It doesn’t officially celebrate its grand opening until Jan. 11, but if you’d like, you can swing by early to help the team work out kinks during its soft opening phase.
Also, here’s a pro tip: The space is also available now for private or corporate events. Hello, self-pour holiday work party.
“There’s a huge demand for corporate events,” Scotty Kent, Hoppin’s director of marketing and communications, told CharlotteFive on Monday morning.
Entertainment and self-pour beer, together at last
We know what you’re thinking: Once you’ve been to one self-pour beer bar, you’ve been to them all, right? Au contraire.
Hoppin’ Brands likes to add something a little different to each of its self-pour bars:
Hoppin’ in South End was the city’s first self-pour bar, Kent said.
Pinhouse was Charlotte’s first duckpin bowling bar, he said.
And now, The Studio brings another twist to the self-pour craze: Entertainment.
With more than 25 taps, the beer itself practically becomes the activity. But that’s not all: The Studio will feature both indoor and outdoor stages, and it will focus on booking all sorts of acts on these stages: Comedians, hypnotists, magicians, music.
This pairing of entertainment with self-pour means one very important thing: No more long beer lines at intermission. Just pop up and get your own refill whenever you’d like. Pure genius?
Its location, nestled conveniently between two popular restaurants, means menu choices abound, said co-owner Rich Moyer. You’ll be able to get food from either restaurant. The outdoor seating is meant to be shared between venues, so you’re not married to just one space all night.
Art all over the walls — but this was not commissioned
The space is colorful. Graffiti decorates the interior walls — Kent said the art was not commissioned, but it was there when The Studio team got the building.
Tables made from wooden spindles and painted different shades of pastel decorate the outdoor courtyard, filled with gravel and topped off with colorful metal beams.
As for the Lite-Brite, it was a Sleepy Poet find by co-owner Drew Nesemeier. He also nabbed a record player from the 1960s that includes a panel of lights that thumps to the tune of the music, with surprisingly good sound.
This week, the bar will be open on Saturday. This Sunday, Dec. 15, the venue will be closed for a private party.
Then starting next week until Jan. 11, here are the soft opening hours:
Monday — closed (open for private events)
Tuesday — closed (open for private events)
Wednesday — closed (open for private events)
Thursday — 5 p.m.-11 p.m.
Friday — 4 p.m. - midnight
Saturday — Noon - midnight
Sunday — Noon - 10 p.m. (Come watch Panthers games, Kent said).
The Studio
2501 South Blvd.
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 5:30 AM.
