PITTSBORO — At the southwest corner of the town’s traffic circle, SoCo Pittsboro aims to bring a return to the bustling downtown lifestyle that “originally put Pittsboro on the map,” in the words of its developer.
With the additions of Havoc Brewing Company in July and Doherty’s Irish Pub and Restaurant — announced last week — coming to the complex, SoCo developer and co-owner Greg Stafford hopes to continue his vision of creating a lively downtown scene.
“We hope that corner would become really, really a neat place to be and keep downtown Pittsboro a neat place to be,” Stafford said. “They’re [his tenants] putting a very significant investment in downtown Pittsboro and turning that corner into an even more inviting space … it’s going to be pretty cool.”
The SoCo space previously housed the Justice Motor Company, which was owned by brothers Frank and Fred Justice. Stafford and his wife Paula bought the building from the Justice family in 2016. Since then, the Staffords have worked to bring unique eateries to downtown Pittsboro, including The Mod and now, Havoc and Doherty’s.
“Mr. Justice decided to sell the property and was kind enough to sell it to us,” Stafford recounted. “What he wanted and what we want is a place to do something in Pittsboro … We want it to become a destination where you’ll find something you like.”
Havoc will be housed at 39 West St. next to The Mod. The brewery is set to open its flagship location at SoCo early this year, according to Havoc’s Facebook page.
The Chatham County-based brewery will have a large outdoor patio where patrons can get a view of the historic county courthouse nearby and a venue for local musicians to play. Stafford said Havoc will bring a unique experience to downtown and complement many surrounding businesses.
“We hope that it makes downtown cool because there’s room for several hundred people on that patio,” Stafford said. “It’s a big outdoor seating area, and so there will be a lot of room to do a lot of cool stuff on there — live music, bouncy castles, car shows or whatever they want to do. It will be really awesome.”
Doherty’s will be located on the other side of The Mod and is expected to open later this year, according to Stafford. Doherty’s is known for its Irish pub fair, ranging from brisket to fish and chips, as well as a wide array of Irish-inspired cocktails and Guinness beer.
Doherty’s co-owner Donavon Favre said before the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his business partner Sami Taweel were looking to open a third location of their award-winning restaurant. When Favre walked through downtown Pittsboro toward SoCo, he said he felt the environment was perfect.
“Our restaurant has a family feel …….