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Monroe’s first craft brewery ventures into craft cocktails with a speakeasy bar

Monroe’s first craft brewery is venturing into cocktails with plans to open a bar with a speakeasy feel.

The owners of Southern Range Brewing will open Local Logic craft cocktail bar at 2 p.m. Feb. 18 on Main Street. It’s the former site of The Studio Boutique at 128 S. Main St., behind the brewery on South Stewart Street.

Dustin and Elise Gatliff opened the brewery nearly seven years ago in downtown Monroe, south of Charlotte in Union County.

Local Logic will have an extensive bourbon list, including some that are high-end and hard to find, Dustin Gatliff said. The cocktail menu will include classics like smoked old-fashioned and Manhattans, plus beer and wine.

When the building became available last year, the Gatliffs landed on Local Logic so it wouldn’t compete with Southern Range’s taproom. Plus, there are plenty of places to grab a beer, Dustin Gatliff said, including the city’s second brewery Americana Beer Co. that opened last summer.

“There’s not a lot of cocktail choices in downtown Monroe,” Gatliff said.

Last year, the city of Monroe designated the Monroe Social District in downtown. In September 2021, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the social districts bill allowing cities and counties to define outdoor spaces where people can legally drink alcoholic beverages bought from an ABC permitted business.

Being on Main Street and exposure to downtown summer events and business boost from the social district “helped us to want to open it here,” Gatliff said.

Local Logic in downtown Monroe will have an extensive bourbon list, plus beer and wine, when it opens Feb. 18.
Local Logic in downtown Monroe will have an extensive bourbon list, plus beer and wine, when it opens Feb. 18.

What to expect at Local Logic

The 2,000-square-foot space has undergone mostly cosmetic changes, Gatliff said, such as removing the carpet and refinishing the hardwood floors, adding architectural columns and building a bar.

The decor is a laid-back 1930s vibe with black and dark teal colors, gold fixtures and mirrors.

“We were going for a more upscale and speakeasy type vibe when we created this space,” Southern Range Brewing said Monday on its Facebook and Instagram social media sites.

The space has seating for about 80 people, including 22 seats at the bar, four large tables with seating for 10 and a small front lounge area. Gatliff said on warmer days, there will be a couple sidewalk tables on Main Street.

The bar will serve some snacks, and customers can bring in food or order delivery from downtown restaurants like Main Street Bistro, Franklin Court Grille and The Exchange Pizza Depot. Plus, Southern Range has food trucks on Fridays and Saturdays just around the corner.

Hours listed online are 3-10 p.m. Thursday, 3-11 p.m. Friday and 2-11 p.m. Saturday.