UPTOWN — There are mounting signs that former Uptown honky-tonk Carol’s Pub is getting closer to showtime.
The longtime dive bar at 4659 N. Clark St., which shuttered in 2016 before new ownership vowed to revive it earlier this year, posted a notice calling for new hires on its Twitter and Facebook pages Wednesday.
“We’re looking for an opening team,” the notice reads. “Experienced front of house and back of house needed to bring this neighborhood staple back to life.”
Carol’s Pub was known during its original 43-year run for beer and whiskey, live country western music from house band Diamondback and frequent karaoke nights.
The bar developed a following over the years, and fans were heartbroken when Carol’s closed abruptly in 2016.
But many of those same fans jumped for joy when Ed Warm, who also owns sports bar and music venue Joe’s on Weed Street, announced in February he plans to reopen Carol’s with much of its old character intact — save for opening as early in the day as it once did.
A visit to Carol’s Thursday evening revealed there’s still likely some work left to be done before patrons start knocking back drinks and scooting boots, however.
The bar’s windows are papered over, and scaffolding looms over the sidewalk on the west side of the building. But the bar’s exterior is already sporting somewhat of a facelift, with new windows facing Clark Street and blank brick walls where a few old signs once hung.
Workers are also overhauling the hangout’s interior with what appears to be a new bar and vintage-style hanging lamps, as seen on neighborhood news site Uptown Update last week.
Despite the flurry of anticipation surrounding the comeback, a representative for the bar didn’t answer questions about the reopening when reached via email Thursday.
