Glenwood South has a slew of new concepts dropping.

Glenwood South is evolving … or devolving? (You be the judge.) Even before the district’s very first restaurant The Rockford shuttered in January, a tidal wave of new businesses was already swelling. See: the closure of other 20+YO business, C. Grace, and the block’s overhaul. The Rockford closing, though, was a defining moment in Glenwood South’s identity—as the strip either reinvents itself or loses its distinct character.

Riding that wave, Oak City Group’s Dan Lovenheim has leased The Rockford. We’re told the man behind Cornerstone, Alchemy, The Avenue, and Pearl & Peril plans to convert the upstairs space to an upscale extension of Pearl & Peril, with little renovation to the interiors and doing away with the food. Cue the debate. 

Stretching his reach, Lovenheim is also reportedly opening a new concept at the Devolve space and is leading construction on the empty plot of land between Devolve and The Rockford, slated to take shape as a two-story bar with a rooftop. We also hear he has plans for a fourth new concept on the opposite side of Glenwood Avenue near the escape room. 

Add Oak City Group’s holdings to concepts by Matt Kenner of Kenner Group—Dogwood Bar & Eatery, Milk Bar, Pine State Public House, Industry—and you now have almost half the bars on Glenwood South. Some would say the groups act like a panther waiting to pounce, seemingly snatching up every empty space on the street as it overturns. 

“There’s some pros and cons to consolidated ownership,” says a city leader to whom we spoke on the subject. And you could say the same thing about Giorgios Bakatsias’ reach in North Hills, or Empire Eats’ Greg Hatem’s downtown. Some people say it’s great to keep business local, while others argue it would be nice to have fresh blood. 

But, before you think the block’s bar scene is becoming cookie-cutter, Glenwood South king Niall Hanley of Hibernian Hospitality Group waves his scepter. The Hibernian Pub, Raleigh Beer Garden, Botanical Lounge trio and Ark Royal owner (the latter of which just reopened after a brief closure) exclusively revealed to Raleigh Magazine his plans to open Peggy’s Whiskey & Cocktails (run by local star mixologist Greg Ewan) in the lower corner of Hibernian Pub—formerly called the “green room”—this month.  

Change, of course, is a natural part of city progress. Some crave it, while others loathe it. The rub, though, is what becomes of these spots once they close—and whose hands the future of the city rests in. 

SPLIT DECISION
Split, Glenwood South’s newest and only tequila-dedicated bar, located in the former C. Grace building, opened in March by Halcyon owner Adam Ajaj. The hip bar is divided—hence the name—into an upstairs and downstairs: the upstairs, a loungey bar specializing in tequila drinks; and the downstairs, a more energetic scene playing host to live music and DJs. Ajaj, a seasoned entrepreneur in the local hospitality sector who “back in the day” owned a handful of spots on Glenwood South (he’s since sold them all), also expanded the outdoor patio to wrap around the building. And keep your eyes peeled for another “local neighborhood bar” Ajaj plans to open across the street from Tin Roof in July. 

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