Glenwood South is getting a shipping-container bar
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Photo: Courtsey of Local Icon Hospitality
Glenwood South is getting another bar — this time made out of shipping containers.
Why it matters: Glenwood South has been downtown Raleigh's most active district since the pandemic — developing a reputation as the city's party neighborhood. The new bar aims to tap into the neighborhood's momentum.
Driving the news: Jon Seelbinder, owner of Local Icon Hospitality, the group behind bars like The Merchant and The Architect, told Axios he hopes to open the bar, called Embargo, by early next year
- The bar will be made out of shipping containers and an existing service station on the property at 701 Glenwood Ave.
Between the lines: Shipping container bars have become popular in many cities as a way to cheaply build out space and create outdoor environments.
- Locally, Boxyard RTP has used shipping containers to build an entertainment spot in Research Triangle Park.
Zoom in: Originally pitched in 2022 under the name The Yard, Embargo will use shipping containers to create a three-level dining and gathering space, with room for lounges and covered seating.
- The entire project will be 14,000 square feet — the largest project Local Icon has ever done — and there will be six bars and multiple food vendors.
- The vendors haven't been decided, but Seelbinder said it would likely be a mixture of Local Icon's own offerings and partnering with other food operators.
- In addition to late night hours, Embargo plans to open around 3pm on weekdays and noon on weekends.
- Seelbinder said he also hopes to work with local artists to add murals throughout the project.
What they're saying: Seelbinder said he believes Embargo will tap into the city's growing demand for outdoor eating and drinking spaces.
- "I do feel that people want to be outside," he said, "and there are plenty of bars up and down Glenwood that do a great job ... and that's what people are looking for."
The shipping containers, which come pre-fabricated with plumbing and electrical, also give flexibility for the future.
- "If there's an opportunity for the site to get redeveloped," he said, "we could always pick this thing up and move it somewhere else if we needed to."
