The Barn Renovation Underway, Opening Still Months Off

Whether you were a regular at The Barn or just stopped by once in a while, one thing is for sure: you wouldn't recognize the inside today.

Gone are tables, chairs, and even the bar itself. Ceilings have been stripped away and floors are being redone, but never fear—current owners Bob and Bobby Rush, a father-son team, will keep the name of the bar they called a "landmark" intact when they reopen.

Bob Rush, who has, along with partner Vernon Boozer, owned the building occupied by The Barn since 1979, said that renovations to the building are major and that a reopening is a "few months" away.

"We're going to take our time and make sure everything gets done right," he said.

When the bar and restaurant reopens, the focus will be on "bar food with a twist," he said.

Curious passersby have stopped by to see what's going on at their beloved bar and, on at least one occasion, have stopped in to make sure it wasn't being demolished.

"We probably get 20 people through here every day asking what's going on," Rush said. "One lady said she thought The Barn was getting knocked down to build a CVS ... now I understand that's happening across the street."

Rush's son, Bobby Rush is the owner and managing partner of the restaurant, and he said that he expects everything will eventually be back to business as usual.

"First we're going to reopen the upstairs while we finish work on downstairs," he said.

The crab house downstairs isn't likely to reopen before the early spring of 2013.

Back in July, The Barn closed its doors for renovation—at the time a partner in the business told Patch that the business had to close due to financial mismanagement.

Rush said that none of the partners involved in that version of The Barn are involved with the new venture.