GEORGE'S Majestic Entertaining Fayetteville since the 1930s

The history of a city is most often contained in the pages of history books and official archives. With life constantly changing, few reminders are left to tell the story of a place and its people. George’s Majestic

Lounge is one notable exception to this rule.

A living piece of history located next to the train tracks on Dickson

Street, George’s opened in 1927 as a restaurant and general store owned by George Pappas. Despite enduring the dual hardships of the Great Depression and Prohibition only a few years after opening its doors, George’s stayed afloat through the lean years and continued to operate as a community hub.

“George and his folks were very popular; they offered a lot of credit to students because it was during the Depression,” said Bob McKinney, a Fayetteville local. “They said they almost went bankrupt several times because people weren’t able to pay their bills.”

George Pappas’ generosity is well established in the history of his lounge. Current owner Brian Crowne shared a story from one of the lounge’s original regulars who had come to visit.

“He told me this was his bar to hang out in the ‘40s,” Brian said. “He was a WW II veteran and shared that George Pappas cleared all the tabs for vets when they came home from the war. That has always stuck with me.”

Twenty years after opening, George’s was sold to Mary and Joe Hinton. Mary, a beloved member of the Fayetteville community, would often babysit for friends while keeping order in the bar area.

“She was as sweet as she could be, but she could handle the roughest frat boy in this town,” said Betty Harrison, a local and former owner of George’s.

Mary and her husband owned the lounge from the late ‘40s to the late ‘80s. The ‘70s saw the lounge consistently hosting live music, a trend that continues today.

During that time, the bar had developed a reputation for accepting all comers. The lounge had been among the first to integrate in the ‘50s. By the ‘70s, the venue was known to be particularly welcoming of its gay patrons.

“You didn’t have to be afraid to go there,” Betty said. “Whatever your religion was, or whatever your affiliation was, you were welcome there and you were treated with respect there.”

Having hosted their first date, George’s was next sold to Bill and Betty Harrison. However, Mary continued to manage the bar as an employee, maintaining it with her gentle voice and strong personality.

In 2004, after more than a decade and a series of remodels, the lounge was sold to its current owners, Brian and Day Crowne. The couple operates the lounge primarily as a live music venue.

“The cool thing about live music is it generally creates a neutral zone because people come for the same reason: an escape from reality for a few hours with your favorite bands,” said Brian.

Over its decades in operation, George’s has hosted thousands of performers, including local bands and Grammy-winning artists. “A few off the top of my head include Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt, Eric Church, Robert Cray, Delbert McClinton, Chris Robinson, Michelle Brand & the Wreckers, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Halestorm and many more,” Brian said. “One of my personal favorites was hosting my favorite horn band on the planet, Tower of Power, 16 years or so ago. Just blew me away.” While booking high-profile acts certainly helps George’s maintain its spot as the premier music venue in the area, it is the care of its owners that can be thanked for the venue’s longevity.

“My wife and I are the fourth owners in 95 years; I think that speaks to the fact the owners care about the venue and its place in the NWA ecosystem,” said Brian. “In our time over the past 18 years, it has been about maintaining relevance for a legacy venue and never being complacent.”

Brain and Day continue George’s legacy of caring ownership, watching over the lounge until the day that the next owners come along to take the mantle.