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Partners (from left) Cannon Armstrong, Jomo Thompson and Seth Bertram are preparing to open The Burl, a 300-person capacity bar and music venue in Lexington’s bustling Distillery District, across the street from the main Pepper campus. Photo by Sara Hughes.
A trio of music-loving entrepreneurs hope to revive the spirit of one of Lexington’s lost treasures in a new bar and venue set to open in the city’s thriving west side Distillery District.
The Burl, set to open in July at 375 Thompson Road, across the street from the James Pepper campus, is being designed with heavy influence from The Dame, a beloved venue lost to the footprint of the contentious CentrePointe development.
“I’ve seen and experienced a lot of really good acts [at The Dame], and that’s something that I really miss in Lexington, and that’s something that we all want to bring back,” said Seth Bertram, who is developing The Burl along with partners Cannon Armstrong and Jomo Thompson.
The men are developing the building, built by Texaco in 1928 as a fuel and oil distribution hub, into an intimate music setting.
Armstrong and Bertram first used the Thompson Road property as a practice facility for their band, Chopper Brown, because there were no noise-level restrictions. In 2014, they decided to turn it into a business venture after the James Pepper campus started developing into an entertainment hotspot.
“I think we have our own vision over here, which fits in with what they’re doing, but nobody is really doing what we’re doing, music-wise,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong and Bertram, who have performed in many Lexington venues, say their goal with The Burl is to do things a little bit differently.
“We’re unique,” said Armstrong. “We’re not as big as Manchester Music Hall and places like the [Lexington Opera House] or the Kentucky Theatre or The Lyric, but we’re at that mid-point where we’re a little bit bigger than the local bars.”
The capacity at The Burl will be 300 for shows, not including the space on a 12-by-90-foot deck. Their liquor license is for the entirety of the property, so owners also hope to organize music festival-style events with larger bands in the parking lot, which they expect to hold about 800-1,100 people.
Live shows with both regional and national musicians will take place at least five nights a week at The Burl. This will include an open mic night and weekly reoccurring theme nights, as well as other non-musical creative performances.
“We’re going to have great music, but we want it to feel like this is a place where you can share your creativity,” said Armstrong.
Whether it’s stand-up comedy or visual art, the owners of The Burl want to encourage creative expression in many forms.
“We want to be open to the artists,” said Bertram. “We don’t want anyone to ever feel like they couldn’t come and play here.”
Tickets to some shows will be sold in advance, and others can be purchased at the door, with some free shows in the mix as well. Bookings will be done by Vectortone, a Louisville-based company.
On the other side of the venue’s parking lot, several garage bays will be used as gaming stations, equipped with ping-pong tables, pool tables, darts and arcade games.
The original blueprints for the 1928 building will be on display in the entryway, as well as other treasures found on location, including Texaco, No Smoking and Marfak signs.
Much of the industrial feel of the building will be preserved, as well as much of the wooden interior, which helps contribute to proper acoustics – something owners say is a top priority after customer service.
“We don’t want to be ultra-polished,” said Bertram. “We like the character of this building and the property. We don’t want to lose that.”
The full bar will include two TVs and 10 taps, including local beers. Ethereal Brewing is currently in talks with the owners of The Burl to develop a beer for them to help with promotion.
While all of the James Pepper campus bars close around midnight, The Burl will be open until 2:30 a.m., and owners are hoping to cater to patrons and employees of their campus neighbors who want to soldier on into the new day.
To help facilitate this, the owners have spoken with city officials about putting in a pedestrian crosswalk and track light to help people safely traverse Manchester Street and make their way to The Burl from the campus. With the Town Branch Trail proposed to go in on their side of Manchester, they believe a safe and designated path for crossing the street is crucial.