On Nov. 2, the bar will open at 5 p.m. and have entertainment by CFG & The Family.
“I just want to thank the community for their support,” Connaughton said.
Connaughton said The Tadcasters will perform from 8-11 p.m. Nov. 23, following a penguin visit from 5-6 p.m., in conjunction with Hamilton Welcomes the Holidays Tree Lighting at 5 p.m. at Marcum Park. A holiday event is planned with Hamilton’s Muckers94 on Dec. 27.
“There could be some things going on in the gaps between those dates. Like I said, I’m easing back into it,” he said. “In the summer, in our high time, when the concerts are going on, on Thursday nights, I can see us being open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but between now and then, it’s going to be very event-driven.”
Connaughton said he also hopes to fill some dates with private events like birthday parties.
“As far as being open Monday through Saturday, certain hours, we are not doing that at the moment,” he said.
Connaughton made the decision to close late in January due to some “unforeseen circumstances.”
“When I made the snap decision to close last winter, I was thinking I wasn’t going to open back up,” Connaughton said.
But after shutting down, having some time to think about, and reevaluate, he came up with a new approach to make it more efficient, “and to up the winning percentage.”
“Is there a way that works for me a little bit better, going forward?” he said. “I wanted to open up for the concert season. I was like, well, I’ll just open back up for that, and revisit it. But then, as it turns out, which I wasn’t aware of, I had a problem with my liquor license. So, I ended up having to reapply for the license from scratch…We just got the license back last week.”
Since then, he said things have moved quickly. He updated something on Facebook, and it had a bigger impact than he anticipated. Community members began responding.
“One thing led to another, and now we’re here, and we are going to do something on Saturday,” Connaughton said. “The important thing is we are opening back up. It may not be as often, but we are going to be able to provide that experience for the people that loved it, on a fairly regular basis.”
Moving forward, he envisions being open a couple of times a month, and when May rolls around, things will ramp up. There won’t be a cover charge on Saturday for CFG & The Family, but in the future, guests can expect a cover charge to be instituted “more often than not.”
Connaughton said he is also coming up with an hourly rate plan to rent out the venue for private events.
“We will be putting some general information out there, so people know to inquire, and what they would be looking at as far as the cost,” he said.
HOW TO GO
What: North Second Tap and Bottle Shop
Where: 134 N. 2nd St. in Hamilton
More details: Serves beer and wine
Online: facebook.com/northsecond
Phone: (513) 509-1308
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