In March of last year, Bullwinkle’s Lounge suffered a devastating fire that left the log-cabin-style building heavily damaged and unable to operate for the last several months. Bullwinkles first opened its doors in 1999.
Business owner Mike Bridges said he fully intended to restore the lounge that he’d spent 23 years building. He wanted to bring it back to its former glory after the fire and they have done just that.
The original lounge featured an extensive collection of antiques and eclectic oddities that covered the interior walls and ceilings, most of which were lost or heavily damaged in the fire.
Most of the treasured decor items have been either restored or replaced, including Bridges’ favorite item, the pterodactyl.
“That is on its way,” said Bridges, who went on to say they had been lucky to find a replica of the red telephone booth, the pterodactyl and several other treasured items that were once a part of the ambiance of the establishment.
“We tried to replace most of the stuff that were eye-catchers,” said Bridges, who added he also restored the Jack Daniel tables.
The stadium seating and sports memorabilia that donned the walls for so many years has also been replaced.
“It was important for us to put it back the way it was originally because we knew that was what our customers would want, we still have all the same staff and crew of knowledgeable, friendly people,” said manager Beth Pitts.
Pitts said the bathrooms have increased in size and, “the bar is larger and we have added a lot of new decor, but we also have a tremendous amount of restored items.
“We also have bigger, better smoke eaters. They are 20 years newer and much more powerful,” said Pitts.
A recent trip to New Zealand encouraged the addition of a video and music element to the bar, but according to Pitts, that is still in the works. They hope to introduce that at a later date.
“We are going to have one less pool table,” said Pitts. “We’re downsizing to one to make room for a dance floor for the ladies and a music area since we don’t have a pool league.
“We’ll have live music from time to time, not every weekend, but we will always have music or some kind of entertainment on the weekends.”
Pitts said they made a few improvements, “but we made sure we put it back pretty much the way it was.”
The plane that once appeared to be lodged in the roof of the building is still currently being restored, but they do intend to bring it back according to Pitts.
The grand reopening of Bullwinkle’s Lounge is set for Thursday, Feb. 2. The business will still offer the same drinks, pizza and barbecue.
The hours of operation will return to normal business hours which are 11 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. until midnight on Sunday. For more information check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BullwinklesLounge.
“It took us a long time and a lot of work to get where we’re at,” said Bridges.
In closing Pitts said, “We’re all very excited to see our regulars again and welcome new customers.”