Carrboro dive bar ends its 15-year run with a farewell bash this weekend
A dive bar in downtown Carrboro has been the backdrop to 15 years of first dates and marriage proposals, dance nights and an annual paper mâché pickle drop to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
So when Bowbarr owners Amanda Barr and John Bowman turn out the lights Tuesday, they’ll mark the end of their West Rosemary Street watering hole.
Before they hand over the keys, the owners, staff and friends will throw a days-long bash, with open mic poetry, music, drinks and food. Saturday will be special, with roasted oysters and former Crook’s Corner Chef Bill Smith joining Barr to serve a batch of his famous honeysuckle sorbet.
It’s heartbreaking to close the doors, but they are trying to stay positive about the next chapter, Barr said.
Carrboro is a place where people from all walks of life “can be who they want to be,” she said, and the response to the news that they’re closing has been “overwhelming.”
The bar “has been more like a community center than it has been a business,” Bowman added. “I care a lot about Carrboro. I came to UNC in 1991, and I sought out our town, because I knew that those were my people.”
Businesses need town help
Before Bowbarr, Bowman tended the bar for years at Milltown (now Luna Rotisserie), while Barr worked as house manager at The ArtsCenter and tended bar at The Flying Burrito.
In 2010, they signed a lease with Step Edwards, the owner of Midway Barber Shop, for space at 705 W. Rosemary St. in the historically Black Midway business district. An Alcoholics Anonymous group met upstairs, and their son was born just before the doors opened, Barr said.
Two years later, the couple bought their half of the building from Edwards and had to raise the rent, Barr said. Glenn’s Tattoo Shop replaced the support group, followed by Pals Skateshop and Recess Yoga.
“It was a total mom-and-pop” operation, she said, stressing that they built a life and a community at the bar.
The decision to close was personal, she said. Bowman has been tending bar for over 20 years and needs a break, she said, and they’ve also watched their end of Carrboro become “a ghost town” at night.
Barr hasn’t been shy about sharing her feelings on social media, and they’ve gotten a lot of comments from supporters about how to make downtown better, she said. Barr’s got a few of her own, too, from more street fairs and festivals to marketing campaigns, better landscaping, and town-sponsored advertising on the side of buses.
“I’m looking outside — the gravel’s all dirty and all the sidewalks are a little bit busted, the trees could be new, beautiful trees, maybe some flower boxes,” she said. “I just think people walking into town should come in and be like, where are we? This is cool.”
The east end has potential, she added, especially as a second Cat’s Cradle location opens this year near the new Wedgewood Cheese Bar and Belltree Cocktail Club. The town could start by checking in more often to see what businesses need, she said.
“The alternative of doing nothing, to me, is just sad, because I truly am so deeply invested,” Barr said. “It’s not about me. It’s about Carrboro. I just feel like Carrboro is so rich and so amazing, and with the political climate being what it is, it’s a haven for people.”
Beach rental, and maybe a pop-up
Cannabliss Dispensary, which has operated out of a small space on Merritt Mill Road for nearly five years, is buying the Bowbarr space and will reopen by mid-May. Recess Yoga will remain the upstairs tenant, Barr said.
While they haven’t settled on their next steps, she and Bowman have a lot of options on the table, Barr said.
They’re already looking to invest in a Carolina Beach vacation rental with a Bowbarr theme, using games and artifacts salvaged from the bar, she said. And she might start a pop-up business based on their long-running Tropical Hotdog Nights, featuring DJs, hotdogs and tropical drinks.
No matter what’s next, they love Carrboro and want to see downtown recapture the energy it had before. Barr plans to continue playing a role in helping other small businesses thrive, including around the corner on North Graham Street in Chapel Hill.
She’s not trying to point fingers, Barr emphasized, and she feels “so lucky” to have been a longtime part of the downtown scene.
“It’s really a gift to be able to have a business and then have it resonate (with people),” Barr said. “As an empathetic person, as a caring person, as a person who’s really felt like investing in the community, helping our neighbors when we can … I’m just so grateful for the community’s outpouring of support to us.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Carrboro dive bar ends its 15-year run with a farewell bash this weekend."
