ASHEVILLE - Dive into a good book with a craft cocktail in hand at a new bar due to open this summer in West Asheville.
In late-August, Character Study will debut at 797 Haywood Road, the former location of Alley Cat Social Club.
The bar concept comes from Chall Gray, Jay Sanders and Lucia Gray, the owners of Montford neighborhood’s Little Jumbo bar, at 241 Broadway St.
“Character Study will feel pretty unique,” Chall Gray, a longtime West Asheville resident, said in a news release. “I’ve been saying that it’ll be somewhat like finding your way into a classic Hollywood red-sauce hangout through a psychedelic-tinged library. It’s a really interesting space, and we’ve had a lot of fun with the design.”
Little Jumbo, named one of The Best Cocktail Bars in the South by “Garden & Gun” magazine, opened seven years ago.
The expertise of Little Jumbo mixologists will pour over to its sister bar but expect a new, signature line of cocktails.
“We’ve been working on lots of fun drink ideas to bring to our side of town,” Chall Gray said. “There will be a rotating classic cocktail special for $9 each day, and the menu will feature a series of new drinks that the team has been developing and refining.”
Character Study’s literary theme will be supported by fellow West Asheville business, Bagatelle Books, which will provide the books sold at the bar.
Books will be line priced at $8 each and guests may add items to their bar tab if they’re staying for a drink.
Carrels ― small, semi-private, cubicle-style desks often seen in libraries ― will be among the seating options and may be used for patrons to converse or play games.
Large, upholstered half-circle booths will provide spacious nooks for groups.
Character Study, housed in a classic 1922 brick building, is under renovation that includes the installation of new windows designed to draw in natural light.
Character Study will open at 4 p.m. daily.
“A lot of people refer to Little Jumbo as Montford’s living room, and I think we’re going to bring a version of that vibe West,” Gray said.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times .
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Exclusive: A book-themed cocktail bar is coming to West Asheville
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