Planners looking for a modern venue with that industrial vibe and local catering options can look to the Eastside Scrapyard, coming soon to downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. The venue is owned by a team of longtime Little Rock restaurateurs that includes Bart and Deanna Barlogie of local dining establishments The Fold: Botanas & Bar and Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom; and Chris and Samantha Tanner, who own Cheers in the Heights, Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill, and The Oyster Bar in Little Rock. The new venue is set to open ahead of the fall season.
“My husband, Bart, and I live downtown, close to the building, so we’ve been intrigued with it for the past five or six years,” says owner Deanna Barlogie. “Driving past, it’s always exuded this old-school yet modern charm—it’s such a cool, different spot in the heart of one of Little Rock’s up-and-coming neighborhoods.” She says when they showed the building to fellow restaurateur Chris Tanner, he fell in love with it, and the rest was history. The building is situated at 1416 E. Ninth St., in the East Village neighborhood that also contains Lost Forty Brewing and riverside restaurant 42 Bar and Table.
Barlogie says the crew intentionally designed the building to be a contemporary, yet flexible space for all types of events—it offers close to 6,000 square feet of event space (not including its two outdoor patios) and can accommodate up to 250 attendees. “For planners, we think they will really enjoy having an industrial spot with both indoor and outdoor spaces to transform into their client’s vision,” she adds. Eastside Scrapyard also provides tables and chairs, mobile bars, and audiovisual options for music and displays in addition to a full catering prep area downstairs, complete with a large warmer, refrigerator, ice machine, and plenty of room to prep and stage. Last, but not least, the venue provides a day-of event coordinator on-site to help with any needs as they arise.
When it comes to catering, the team at Eastside Scrapyard has handy connections that they hope make things easy for planners and ensure events are equipped with high-quality food options. “Our backgrounds are in restaurants, so we definitely spent some time curating our preferred restaurants and caterers,” Barlogie explains. “From Raduno to Cheers (both members of our own restaurant portfolios) to some of our favorite Little Rock restaurants and caterers, such as The Pantry and Crave Catering Co., we are excited to partner with and offer some of the best catering options in the area.”
Barlogie says while they do not have an exact opening date yet, they hope to be open by Sep. 1 and are now booking for fall. Planners can follow Eastside Scrapyard on both Facebook and Instagram for more information.
