School is in session: South Slope’s Public School bar to open July 13

Posted on by Carrie Eidson
Photo by Sarah Whelan

Doughnuts, craft beer, barbecue and now a quiet spot to enjoy a drink: 32 Banks Ave. is coming to life this summer. The building that used to hold Standard Paper Co. and later an underground skatepark is now home to Vortex Doughnuts, Catawba Brewing and (the quasi-open) Buxton Hall Barbecue. On Monday, July 13, membership bar Public School will become the fourth business to open in the remodeled space.

Photo by Sarah Whelan
Photo by Sarah Whelan

Public School owners Mike Piroli, Benjy Greene and Scott Thomas say the bar is intended to be a calm spot for locals and service industry professionals, and they intend to foster a definite blue-collar feel. “We want it to be place where you can come after work, and just chill out and have a drink,” Piroli says.

Piroli adds that the bar will feature an outdoor patio and eights taps currently running PBR, Guinness, Pisgah Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA, Asheville Brewing Co.’s Ninja Porter, Hi-Wire Brewing Co.’s Brown Ale, Bells’ Oberon and Sierra Nevada’s Nooner pilsner. The draft options will rotate, Piroli says, and the bar will also offer bottled and canned beers from local breweries, including South Slope businesses. “We want to support our neighbors and the brewers in the neighborhood,” he adds.

Public School will be open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m. Specials for the first day include $2 20-ounce PBR drafts and $5 Jameson shots. The facility does not have a kitchen, but Piroli says food trucks will be nearby.

For more information, visit publicschoolnc.com or the bar’s Facebook page.

 

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About Carrie Eidson
Multimedia journalist and Green Scene editor at Mountain Xpress. Part-time Twitterer @mxenv but also reachable at ceidson@mountainx.com. Follow me @carrieeidson
View all posts by Carrie Eidson →

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2 thoughts on “School is in session: South Slope’s Public School bar to open July 13”

  1. Hello

    I heard Benji and the ownership group is about to be convicted for a credit card scam stealing from the Lab. Are the owners of Public School criminals that stole from a local business to open a dive bar? Stay tuned, a lot more investigation into local criminals is necessary.

    • Roseanna Coates

      Slander is a crime…but here say just means you carry a big spoon!
      Good luck fellas!! Show em up!!!

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