Developers of Loflin Yard plan Carolina dining spot
Builder says owners vow to prevent late-night noise
Developers of back yard-style recreation spot Loflin Yard are moving forward with another rustic-themed indoor-outdoor restaurant and bar in Downtown’s South End.
Brad Barnett, a Collierville landscaper, and Mac Hopper, a builder, won a $57,550 grant Wednesday for exterior improvements at 134 E. Carolina, an old warehouse, and 141 E. Carolina, a vacant lot.
Barnett said the dining spot should be open by July.
Hopper assured the Center City Development Corp. the new establishment won’t experience the
kind of late-night noise issues that plagued Loflin Yard at Florida and Carolina.
Hopper said the owners intend to keep a tighter rein on the new place, rather than handing over site control to a tenant operator.
“We’re keen to be good neighbors,” Hopper said. “We’re not going to have any programs outside.”
The nearest neighbors are Wayne’s Candy Co. and Memphis Cash & Carry to the east and a walled enclave of singlefamily homes to the west, at Main and Carolina.
Hopper said, “The project needs a lot of love. If you go down there at night, it’s not lit up with city street lights. It’s just dark and desolate.”
He said they’re working with inferno, a marketing firm, on a name and branding.
Plans call for grain silos housing restaurant, bar, restrooms and commercial kitchen producing food for dining in, takeout and delivery. There would be outdoor seating and a large water feature, but no outdoor programming or entertainment.
Grant money can be used for exterior items such as signs, fencing, lighting, planters, furniture and sidewalks.