Writer: Rebekah Hall Scott | Photographer: Rett Peek
Veteran restaurateurs combine efforts to create Eastside Scrapyard, a versatile new event venue in the heart of an up-and-coming Little Rock neighborhood
Next door to towering piles of rusting iron and metal sits Eastside Scrapyard, a new venue in a former industrial building that proprietors Bart Barlogie and Chris Tanner envision as a vital part of the blossoming social scene in east Little Rock. Located east of Interstate 30 and not far from the airport, it’s in an area that’s been largely industrial for decades. “Most event centers are way out, they’re hard to get to,” Bart says, referring to a handful of new-construction venues on the outskirts of the Little Rock metro. “And with Sterling Market, the new art space they’re building, and the brewery coming in down here on Ninth Street, there’s just so much energy heading this direction.”
At Eastside Scrapyard, Bart and Chris plan for the venue to be available for events large and small, corporate and personal. The front of the building will be covered to provide more shade, and Bart says he hopes to eventually set up a small stage there for live music.
Eastside Scrapyard is located at 1416 E. Ninth St. in Little Rock.
Bart, who owns The Fold and Raduno, and Chris, owner of Cheers, Samantha’s Tap Room, and The Oyster Bar, bought the 13,500-square-foot building in the summer of 2023 after being intrigued by the site. “I’ve been driving past this space for five or six years now, and I’d gone back and forth with the guy who previously owned it because I really, really loved it,” Bart says. “He didn’t want to get rid of it at the time, but then he had some bigger projects come up, so finally he called me back one day and said, ‘You still want that thing?’” Chris echoed the feeling, noting he was sold at first sight. “People are looking for a space for cool, private events, especially for something that’s open and easy to get to,” he says.
“When you work together, you can make cool things happen.”
—Bart Barlogie, Eastside Scrapyard
A benefit of the building’s location in an industrial area is the noise factor—there are no close neighbors to disturb in the evening hours. “The great thing about this space is that at 4:00 in the afternoon, you own it,” Chris says. “You own this whole area. They shut down, so it’s perfect—so quiet. You could play music as loud as you wanted because there’s not a house around.”
With their backgrounds in food service, both owners say rehabbing the venue space has presented fewer challenges than opening a new restaurant. “It’s easier,” Chris says. “We’re not putting in kitchens or vent hoods, we’re not doing grease traps, because we’re going to allow other caterers to come in.”
Bart Barlogie (left) and Chris Tanner.
“We’re not having to worry about staffing it as much, which is a big deal,” Bart adds. “We’ll have people who work with us to make sure things are tight and organized, but it’s not like an everyday, 100-person operation like the restaurants are.”
Bart and Chris are focusing on the main floor of the large building for the initial opening, which they hope to celebrate in the early summer of 2024; their first wedding in the space is booked for June. They plan to eventually transform the bottom floor into a generous prep space for catering. “We’ll do some catering ourselves if customers want us to, and we’re going to allow people to come in who will be pre-approved—other friends of ours who are in the business, too,” Chris says.
Combining their talents and bringing industry friends into the fold has been a priority for the project all along. “Our restaurants aren’t the same cuisine; we’re not in each other’s spaces,” Bart says. “But even if we were, we’re still friends, and we work together. I think that’s the biggest challenge with a lot of people: they work against each other instead of with each other. When you work together, you can make cool things happen.”
All in the Family
It’s hard for any restaurant business not to become a family business. Thus, Deanna (left) and Samantha have become integral parts of their husbands’ multiple properties, with Deanna involved in the day-to-day operations of The Fold, Raduno, and now Eastside Scrapyard. “Deanna has been right there beside me and Chris coordinating contractors, setting up potential new clients and relationships for the space, and contributing her input on the overall design of the project,” Bart says. Here, the two women are seen in the property’s old elevator shaft, which the team hopes to utilize as a unique bar setup.
The group found the site’s building permits from the 1970s and had them framed to commemorate Eastside Scrapyard’s history.
Follow Eastside Scrapyard on Instagram (@eastsidescrapyard) for updates.
