Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Doug Beatty, the man who built Barley’s when there wasn’t much happening in downtown Asheville more than a decade ago, has his eyes site on bringing back the downtown of Kingsport, Tenn. If anybody can do it, Beatty can. (Beatty’s the guy in the middle.)
Here’s the Kingsport Times-News story:
KINGSPORT — Doug Beatty looked around the vacant second floor of the three-story structure and envisioned lots of people laughing, eating and enjoying one another in the heart of a vibrant downtown district.
“We as a group believe in bringing back landmark buildings and creating places where the community can come together to share good food and good times,” Beatty said. “That’s what this is all about.”
Beatty and his business partners, Jeff Lane and Kanishka Biddanda, recently formed Adapt Core, a new development company focused on restoring old buildings to promote community and cultural renewal in the downtown area.
Adapt Core’s first project is a big one — the three partners have leased the old Kingsport Grocery Co. on Main Street with an option to purchase the property.
The building dates back to 1916, and was used for years as a wholesale food supply warehouse for area grocers. For the last 30-plus years, different restaurants have located in the building, and it’s housed a comedy club on occasion.
One chilly morning last week, the three partners took a walk through the empty building. Remnants of the past — handcrafted stained glass windows, an antique mantle piece, a black iron vault bearing the name Kingsport Grocery Company — sit amid exposed brick and timber.
The three plan to renovate the property, restore its historical character, and in a couple of months open a restaurant here that bears its original name, Kingsport Grocery Co.
“This building is a downtown landmark. It needs to be brought back and filled up,” Beatty said.
The restaurant will be similar to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, a chain founded by Beatty with locations in Asheville, Knoxville and Greenville, S.C.
Beatty is also the one who opened the 12 Bones in downtown Kingsport and he is also rehabbing the old theater on Main Street back to the way it once did. Its last use was a Gymnastics school and they tore the place up. It’s nice to see someone who is dedicated about bringing life back to a downtown.