Fayetteville’s newest bar brings a speakeasy vibe to the city’s historic Haymount neighborhood, but we can’t tell you exactly where.
“We’re going for an off-the-grid, word-of-mouth establishment,” said owner Josh Choi, who also owns Winterbloom Tea and cocktail bar downtown.
The new venture, called Archives, opened Wednesday. But there isn’t a sign out front, an online presence or a phone number.
“We want people to have fun trying to find it,” Choi said.
The moody cocktail bar’s semi-hidden quality is a modern take on secretive prohibition-era bars, Choi said, when alcohol was illegal and thirsty patrons went underground to seek out spirits.
It’s an intentional departure from Choi’s Winterbloom, a family-friendly tea house with Instagram-worthy decor and drinks that he said attract tourists. Archives, on the other hand, is a 21-and-up neighborhood hangout.
“We want Fayetteville to have a spot that only locals know about,” Choi said.
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