Red Barn reopens Jan. 14

Cheers went up when people heard the popular Red Barn restaurant was reopening. Stacy and Eddie Pearson have been working on the site for several months and will welcome patrons Tuesday, Jan. 14.

It wasn’t what Stacy had planned. “I was going to retire and go back to Faunsdale,” she laughed.

Stacy has owned the Faunsdale Café for 21 years, and, until it was closed recently, she also ran Stacy’s Café in the Demopolis Inn. Her daughter, Sydney Colyar, now operates the Faunsdale business.

Roger Roberts had owned the Red Barn for 38 years when he closed the doors last year. The Pearsons decided to take a chance and buy it. They had considered opening Stacy’s Café at night, but they felt the location on U.S. Highway 80 will draw more diners.

“This is where the action is,” said Eddie. “I can’t walk anywhere without people asking about the Red Barn.”

Both personnel and equipment from Stacy’s Cafe are moving to the new business. Four former Red Barn employees will be returning as well.

Stacy has promised that many of the popular items on the Red Barn menu will remain, but she plans on adding a few of her own touches.

“Stacy is a great cook,” said her proud husband.

While regular restaurant goers may not notice the difference, Eddie has used his construction skills to repair and shore up the dining area as well as removing some walls and adding others to provide more storage in the kitchen.

There was a lot of work to bring everything up to code, Eddie said. He even used some heart pine lumber from the family home in Faunsdale, built in 1842, to add character to the dining area and make repairs in the bathrooms.

Stacy, in the meantime, has been working on the menu, personnel and all the other details that go into opening a restaurant.

“Please be patient,” she asked future customers. “It’s all going to be a learning curve.”

They both said Roberts has been a lot of help as they get ready to open the doors.

As the business grows, she said, the restaurant will reflect more of her style. “It’s not going to be the same” as what Roberts offered. “I want to cook what I like to cook.”

That means the menu will offer more vegetables and “home cooking” specialties.

The bar above the restaurant also will be reopening, but it will be a non-smoking area. A patio is provided outside for those who want to light up.

Eddie said they hope to provide live music occasionally. “We want people to enjoy themselves responsibly.

The whole focus of their business, said Eddie is to take care of the customers.

“I want it to be a place that people can enjoy,” Stacy added. “I want people to treasure this as much as (they did) Roger.

“We’ll get it all figured out.”

The restaurant will be open from 4:30-9:30 Tuesday through Saturday. Bar hours will be announced.