A Nottingham bar is hoping to reopen its doors tonight (Friday, February 10) - but it won't quite be business as usual. Drinkers visiting Brass Monkey will have to go upstairs to the first floor where they will be served drinks at their tables because the usual bar is out of action.
Repairs to flooring behind the bar turned into a substantially bigger job than expected, forcing Brass Monkey to close for the last three nights. Although not fully back to normal, it will be trading again this evening.
Liam O'Brien, a partner at the Lace Market venue - one of Nottingham's oldest independent bars - said: "It's been a horrible inconvenience and an absolute horror show. As someone who likes to see the positives in the negatives it's given me the opportunity to put right any bad work from previously. Sometimes you do these repairs and it gives you an extra three or five years, now I have bought myself 20."
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Mr O'Brien had been waiting for six months for wear and tear to the non-slip flooring behind the bar to be repaired but it wasn't as straightforward as the contractor was expecting. When the old covering was removed it revealed extensive water damage. Instead Mr O'Brien took control.
"I thought if he's not going to do it, I'll do it. I have ripped out everything and I'm replacing joists, floor boards everything. Old buildings always have problems and before a few things had been done to compromise some of the woodwork so I saw it as an opportunity to undo all of the previous damage and fix the whole thing.
"I had to take the bar top out, the bar framework and everything, completely clear it to take the boards out. Part of the problem you get with these things is that people build up like a lasagne of floors. Most bars have got probably two or three floors built on top of each other because there is never had ideal time to take it all out."
The boards were going down this afternoon. Mr O'Brien said: "I will put up a nice curtain around the bar, as a kind of horror peep show if anyone wants to have a look, and we will serve from a dispense bar upstairs."
In a Facebook video updating fans of the bar, Mr O'Brien said: "Myself and the team are working hard to replace the floorboards to get back open. There will be a slight change of plan. You will come in through the main door and go upstairs. It's not as nice and not as good as the current bar but it's what we've got right now. One thing's for sure we'll have the same good drinks, good people and good times."
He told Nottinghamshire Live: "Everybody is going 'are you alright?' I'm fine, I'm unfazed by it. Apparently I thrive in stressful situations. If you are stepping out of your comfort zone it means you're learning something.
"I'm kind of handy, I wouldn't say I'm the best but I am quite logical and good at problem solving and figuring out what we need to do. Then I've gone some friends who are a bit more handy who are helping me. By this time next week it will be a distant memory and just something we look back on and laugh at."
He hopes to reopen at the usual time of 5pm. "Obviously there might be a slight delay in getting the doors open on that final push," he said.
The bar, which is known for its cocktails, underwent a major revamp after the pandemic to add more seating and make it fresher and brighter.
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