A new specialist beer bar intends to keep the venue’s music store past alive in recognition of the community’s collective memory of it.
The former Mike Lloyd Music building in Wolverhampton – which sold records and gig tickets – most recently operated as a KFC, but has, as of Friday afternoon, become The Perfect Ale Cask & Keg, or Pack for short.
Andy Evans, who grew up in Bilston, has transformed the site alongside business partners Nicc Bennett and Simon Monk.
Mr Evans, who founded the Codsall Beer Festival, said the bar would eventually feature live music, with plans to feature memorabilia there being his “massive nod” to a music shop that had “a lot of history in the city”.
Mr Evans said the building was “well known” and had a special sentiment to him.
“I bought my first ever gig ticket here in 1992 to see Michael Jackson at Wembley,” he said.
The 51-year-old added he and his partners had received “a lot of positive feedback” from those who no longer drank in the city centre, due to “a lack of choice of real ale and craft beer”.
He hoped the bar would offer “something different” and said: “We’re hoping to bring people back into the city, offering new local beers and live music.”
The site had been vacant since KFC departed in 2019.
Mr Evans said Wolverhampton Wanderers’ home game on Saturday 22 November would be a “baptism of fire” for the venue as it coincided with the city’s Christmas lights switch-on, but the opening weekend would provide “a good dry run”.
For the next few weeks, the bar would be open Thursday to Sunday only, then, once fully staffed, would operate seven days a week, Mr Evans added.
He said the building’s “real gem” was the basement, which he and his partners planned to renovate into a live music venue.
“It will be Wolverhampton’s little music venue for small, local bands and artists. We’re hoping to have that open by spring next year,” he said.
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