Clayton’s swanky new cocktail bar offers craft spirits and mid-century modern vibes
Cocktail fans in Clayton will soon be saying, “Take me to Church.”
The quickly growing Johnston County town will add a new cocktail bar to its Main Street next month.
Church Spirits & Cocktails is expanding into the Triangle with a new spot in downtown Clayton. The new Church will open at 213 W. Main Street, replacing a former axe throwing bar with swanky cocktails.
Owned by hospitality pro turned real estate agent Kyle Merritt, the first Church opened in Goldsboro in 2021, introducing the city to craft cocktails.
During his brief hospitality career, Merritt worked front of the house jobs at both Poole’s Diner and Chef & the Farmer, two renowned North Carolina restaurants. But the idea for a small cocktail bar tingled in the back of this mind for nearly a decade.
“I was a 21-year-old kid with a dream and no money,” Merritt said when he first thought of opening a cocktail bar in his hometown of Goldsboro. “I got inspired over the years and seven years later I found myself in the position to open a bar. The original location became available and we were open two months after I signed the lease.”
The first Church Spirits opened in a 1,000-square-foot former wine bar in Goldsboro. Quickly it was clear the bar’s congregation needed a larger space.
“It blew up,” Merritt said. “We brought craft cocktails to Goldsboro. People were seeing egg whites in drinks for the first time and saying, ‘What’s going on here?’”
Merritt moved the bar to a larger space in downtown Goldsboro around Christmas last year, expanding on Church’s focus for drinks and drinks only, cutting out the TVs or live music you might find in some bars.
“Church is a place for conversation and unwinding with your friends,” Merritt said. “The thing I like about cocktails much more than drinking is the conversation with people over drinks. That’s what made me fall in love with the bar business.”
In the South and the Bible Belt, Merritt acknowledges the name has been provocative, but that naming his bar “Church” nods to cocktail bars of the past and the connections that can happen over drinks.
“It wasn’t a jab at Christians,” Merritt said. “The original idea was to be a speakeasy, which during Prohibition were always disguised as something else. But Church also embodies the fellowship that happens in a bar, to be that neighborhood bar people look to. Plus it’s kind of catchy, people saying ‘I’m going to Church to drink.’”
In Clayton, the new Church Spirits & Cocktails takes over the former Epic ax throwing bar. At around 2,000 square feet, it has room for about 50 people, plus an outdoor patio — something new for Church.
The cocktail menu changes seasonally and its cover is designed by a local artist each time the new one drops.
Merritt said Church took over the ax throwing bar two months ago and credits his real estate experience for the quick turnaround. Church reaches for a mid-century modern aesthetic Merritt said, with sharp clean lines and an uncluttered rack of shelves displaying the bar’s spirits.
“It’s very, very similar to Church in Goldsboro,” Merritt said. “It’s basically the same template, same colors, same design. We’re trying to create a culture here.”
Church joins Revival 1869 on Clayton’s Main Street, which opened seven years ago as the town’s first cocktail bar. The sleepy Johnston County town finds itself increasingly cosmopolitan, with the pair of cocktail bars and until a month ago a restaurant from Raleigh chef Scott Crawford. James Beard semifinalist chef Oscar Diaz and the Mezcalito restaurant group have plans for a new project on Mains Street.
“We’re excited to be in Clayton; Revival is great, I know we’ll be taking our team there,” Merritt said. “We bring a different vibe, we’re really energetic. I think all ships rise with the tide.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 11:04 AM.
