PHOTO VIA THE LODGE FACEBOOK PAGE

We told you HERE that the owners of popular downtown bars The Lodge (Facebook) and The Woods (Facebook) had sold their businesses and since then we’ve been given an update on what the new owners have planned.

 The bars, which are located in the historic Rose Building at 49 N. Orange Avenue [GMap], will change to The Vine and Rose, with The Lodge on the bottom becoming The Rose, and The Vine taking over The Woods space.

Jesse Williams, one of the investors in sports bar Parlay (Website) with co-owners Kevin Young and Bo Wilkinson, told Bungalower that the new concepts will be a shift away from other venues the owners are also invested in on their own like Eden Bar, Tier, and Celine.

“We have enough nightclubs in our portfolio. We want to get some craft cocktail venues now to add to the scene downtown.”

– JESSE WILLIAMS

Williams shared that they are already in discussion with management in both of the bars to try to retain their staff and keep catering to the current demographics and clients they already serve but in a more modern setting.

“We’re not changing much upstairs besides adding some plants and making the seating more modern. At the moment we’re thinking we’re keeping the wooden bartop too. Downstairs we’ll be getting rid of the taxidermy, putting in a new floor, fresh paint on the walls, and fixing the second-floor loft that a lot of people didn’t even know existed. We want more comfy booths in The Rose too. Dartboards and arcade games are coming too.”

– JESSE WILLIAMS

An exact opening timeline was still up in the air at the time of this post.

The sale of The Woods and The Lodge is expected to go through later this month. A farewell party is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, which is expected to be the last day for both of the beloved downtown bars.

Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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