Village Bar will make way
for new Freehold eatery
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — The landscape of Park Avenue is about to change.
The Village Bar, a familiar landmark in the borough for more than 40 years, will be demolished to make way for Denims, a restaurant now being built behind the bar.
According to owners Troy Goodlow and Jim Lynott, the Village Bar will come down at the end of June and, hopefully, its 11,000-square-foot successor will be ready to open for business sometime in July.
Borough officials originally approved the application last May and construction on Denims began in November, according to Lynott.
The new building is a combination restaurant and banquet hall. The building’s Victorian design, created by architect Roy Quackenbush, was purposefully crafted to fit in with the character of the town, according to Goodlow. The restaurant will feature live music, country line dancing, ballroom dancing, karaoke nights, dinner dances and fashion shows.
Volleyball action outside the restaurant is also planned.
The two men purchased the business two years ago with the intent of building the new restaurant and tearing down what some people may have once referred to as a "rough" bar.
With the opening of Denims, the owners will be hoping to attract customers from different generations and lifestyles.
"We want our restaurant business to appeal to the masses," Goodlow said. "We’re very enthusiastic about our opening."
Stating that the business with its visual appeal, good food and entertainment will hopefully attract white collar and blue collar workers alike, Goodlow said they hope to cross the generation gap, something he said business at the Village Bar has already done in the last two years under their management.
"We have people in all age groups now, everyone gets along and has a good time. That’s the idea," Goodlow said.
Included in the owners’ recent appearance before the Planning Board were requests for an increase in occupancy for the second story, from 100 to 500, and a parking waiver to complement that increase. Additional modifications to the original application, presented by attorney Robert Wines, was a fence to enclose the back property for the volleyball games and permission to have banners of the team sponsors displayed on the fence.
After a lengthy discussion between board members and the applicant, the board approved the following: an increase in second story occupancy of 100 people (200 people now permitted), resulting in a granted waiver for 16 parking spaces, the enclosure of the second story porch, a slatted chain link fence around the back of the property.
In addition, a board-on-board 6-foot high fence will separate the restaurant from its neighboring business, Norwood, and regulation size channel letter lighting.
Also included in the resolution for approval was additional lighting and sidewalks to be installed from Norwood to the restaurant.
According to the bar owners, they now have a lease agreement with Norwood for the use of 50 parking spaces.
Denims will feature a liquor store and main dining area and bar, seating 130 people on the first floor.
According to Goodlow, the owners have hired an "awesome" chef with 20 years experience who will be cooking up American favorites from steaks, to chicken, to seafood and pizza and everything in between. Fare will be moderately priced.
There will be lunch specials for customers who may want to take a shuttle bus from the center of town.
The owners are planning to buy a bus that will travel through the borough to pick up customers and then shuttle them back to work.
The shuttle bus also plans to make use of the municipal parking lots in town for those people who don’t want to wrestle with the task of looking for a parking space at the restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night or for those who don’t have a "designated driver."
Lynott said he plans to eventually have the shuttle bus meet at central locations in condominium developments in the area as well.
The owners said they are looking forward to providing a special kind of dining and entertainment experience at Denims, a place where "people can get together and have a great time."