The Wests are flying South to Buffleheads
The Wests are flying south, but not too far south… Building on 35 years of success developing downtown, they are planning a duck-themed bar with duckpin bowling just across the river…. Buffleheads is the name of their concept planned for the 10,000-square-foot space, which they expect to open in a matter of months in the former Everything Mushrooms building at 1004 Sevier Ave.
Buffleheads will be an indoor-outdoor bar. The garage doors will stay, and West hopes to open them up in the warmer months. Expect all sorts of beers and booze served out of retro aluminum trailer bars, but also biscuits, bowls and burritos will be the focus of the food menu, plus folks will be able to enjoy duckpin bowling, shuffleboard and an aviary of other games.
“Buffleheads, in addition to being a nice tie-in to duckpin bowling, are also a species of small diving ducks with comically oversized, purplish-green iridescent heads.
The Wests, being the Wests, are already kicking around a few ways to lean into the theme: a rubber duck racing track for charity, an old VW Beetle painted like a duck and parked out front … or possibly on the roof.
The warehouse’s previous tenants won’t be forgotten. There are plans for several oversized mushroom-shaped tables out front, a playful nod to Everything Mushrooms’ long run in the space.
With Sevier Avenue’s streetscape improvements underway, a newly pedestrian- and bike-friendly Gay Street Bridge ushering in a new era of connectivity, and the SoKno Rail Trail & Art Walk project running right past their back deck, the strip is arguably the buzziest in town.
And they just bought a bunch of frozen drink equipment off Fat Tuesday, whose downtown location recently closed… I can suddenly see the appeal of a piña colada slushy after a summer bike ride.
One thing Sevier Avenue still has in abundance compared to other parts of town is locally owned businesses. Maintaining that independent footprint matters to many in the area. The best way to keep corporate chains at bay, Scott suggests, is to create places so lively and distinctive that people choose them because they’re simply more fun than the alternative.”