The Quonset hut buildings, also known as Trailside Village, at 546 W. Center Street in downtown Fayetteville. (Flyer photo)The Quonset hut buildings that have been home to artist studios, musician rehearsal spaces, and a host of small businesses important to the Fayetteville DIY scene will soon be demolished, but as is consistent with their history, they will not go quietly.
A two-day celebration of the longtime creative hub is set for next weekend.
Local promoters The HopOut, along with AM/PM Bar and others, are planning a “Goodbye Alley” event featuring performances aimed at celebrating the history and legacy of the buildings, also known as Trailside Village on Center Street, on Friday and Saturday, April 5-6.
The folks from The HopOut described the event – with a nod to the importance of the long metal buildings and the adjacent alley – perfectly in an Instagram post earlier this month.
Goodbye, Alley. The end of a long, historic, beautiful era. Join us in celebrating The Alley home to the likes of Backspace, The Nines, Gar Hole Records, The AM/PM Bar, Cocoon Collective, Trailside Yoga, Wanderlust Salon, May Bell Music, Petite Studio, Prank Stare, Hogsville Consignment, and so so many more…
The Alley was a space for the weird, the fun, the creative, the thinkers, the doers, the non-thinkers, the non-doers, and everyone in between…
It was a home, a respite, a place to go, a place to be, to start your business, to read your poetry, to do your comedy, to play your music, and a practice space (in so many ways) to many. And we’re sad to see it go.
We invite you to celebrate The Alley with us on April 5th and 6th a two part event to commemorate the life shared and experienced within this iconic space.
The first night of the celebration will include performances by Dylan Earl, Devin Champlin, Kelly Hunt, Desiree Cannon, and Jude Brothers along with food from Buxton’s Heady Smoke and “herby magic” from Yarb Apothecary on Friday, April 5. Admission is $10-$25 (on a sliding scale, they said) on a first-come, first served basis. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the music begins at 7 p.m.
The second day on April 6 will include a full day of performances beginning at 11 a.m., headlined by local bands Jess Harp, Gardensnakes, and The Phlegms. It will also include a vendor fair, food, drinks, and more. Admission to the second-day event is $15-$25. A full list of vendors is available here, and the full schedule of performances for the day is here.
In addition to the music, a zine documenting the history and culture of the building called “One Last Zine” is being compiled by Helen Maringer to be distributed at the event. Maringer said there will be about 100 copies of the zine distributed at the event, and additional copies will be available around town and online after that.
The two Trailside Village quonset hut buildings, currently home to AM/PM bar, Yarb Apothecary, Gar Hole Records and several other businesses are set to be removed to make way for a planned student housing development by Trinitas Ventures. The housing project would also remove four buildings to the west of the quonset huts where Trailside Yoga, a B Unlimited retail space and others are located.
Trailside Yoga has announced plans to relocate to a building just west of Prairie Street Live at 513 Prairie Street in Fayetteville this summer. Gar Hole Records also plans to move to a new office. AM/PM Bar will close for good on Saturday, April 13, thought the owners do plan to open the space for their Really Really Free Market on May 1 (just not as a bar).
Despite their plans to close, AM/PM Bar owners Eryn and Chandler said in their closing announcement that they hope the DIY spirit of their business will be carried forward by others.
“It’s because of you that we do what we do, and our hope moving forward is that you keep doing it,” they wrote. “We hope moving forward that other places in town continue our take what you need initiative, host free markets, and think outside of the box for people who truly want to make their time in Fayetteville extraordinary over transactional.”
Event posters
