Fayetteville Man Opposes Competition

On April 9, Richard Shewmaker went before the Fayetteville Planning Commission to complain about a private club going in at 227 W. Dickson St., four blocks up the street from his residence.

“It’s going to have a tremendous negative affect upon the residential customers of Dickson Street,” Shewmaker said, according to minutes from the planning commission meeting.

Shewmaker asked the commission to vote against the proposal for a private club/second-run movie house at that location, but the commissioners approved the proposal by a vote of 6-3, and renovation there is under way.

Now, Shewmaker has decided to lease the space at 603 W. Dickson St. (directly under his second-floor residence) to Dave Bass, who plans to open a private club there called The Blue Parrot by late August.

Shewmaker was a vocal opponent of George’s Majestic Lounge next door and complained regularly that music played at Sound Warehouse, which previously occupied the 603 W. Dickson St. location, was too loud.

George’s constructed a concrete brick wall and installed a canopy over the beer garden to try to keep the noise down and not disturb Shewmaker. The Sound Warehouse owners moved that business to Block Avenue.

The warehouse Shewmaker owns to the south of the Dickson Street building is also leased to Bass, who has a bar/nightclub there called Dave’s on Dickson.

We’re not sure if Shewmaker is against private clubs on Dickson Street or just against competition in general, since two of his properties in the area will house bars. Or maybe he’s just against that private club, since it’s being opened by two of his former tenants at the Dave’s on Dickson location.