EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) – Rising out of decades in the pits, one of the very first new retail spaces to spring up in Downtown Eugene is about to welcome its first new tenant, as a new bar and coffee shop is set to open right in the heart of the city.
Around nine months after its opening, the Broadway Commerce Center is getting ready to house “The Barn Light,” on its first floor. The business just put up its first sign advertising its location this week of July 22nd, 2012.
“The Barn Light” will open early for coffee and stay open until late, around 2 in the early morning for bar drinks.
As for the food, the business will serve small “snack size” platters to complement the drinks.
NewsSource 16 spoke with Thomas Pettus-Czar is one of the owners behind “The Barn Light” on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012.
Pettus-Czar says the business isn't so much a “restaurant,” but rather something new for the area.
"Almost akin to what you see in café culture in Europe where folks just have the place to hang out. You know, they can go there to meet with their friends to have a small snack or a small meal,” says Pettus-Czar.
Pettus-Czar came to Eugene a few years back to go to graduate school at the University of Oregon.
Seeing downtown Eugene's transformation in the making, Thomas says investing in the growth was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
“It's great to see all of this energy and interest in downtown,” says Pettus-Czar.
“There's a lot of great things going on,” says Pettus-Czar.
Pettus-Czar says one of the coolest things about “The Barn Light” will be the décor. Soon enough, the restaurant will hang large wood planks on its walls. The planks came from a 100 year old barn in McMinnville.
BRING Recycling has also helped source lanterns and barn lights to go inside the coffee shop – bar.
Owners hope to open “The Barn Light” in late August to early September of 2012.
There is also more major restaurant growth in downtown as well, as the popular “Off the Waffle” shop from South Eugene will opening up a location next to Bagel Sphere in the U.S. Bank Building. The restaurant has a sign up reading “opening in 10 to 12 weeks,” putting its opening sometimes between late September and mid-October 2012.
NewsSource 16 also spoke with real estate agents familiar with downtown Eugene's vacancies on Wednesday. Agents say they're close to finalizing deals to put two other restaurants in the Broadway Commerce Center hopefully by year's end.
Recently, a new video game lounge and e-sports competition hub called the “Shoryuken League” also opened its doors to business at the Broadway and Willamette Street core.
