That Main Street Barrel House in Barnesville is uniquely positioned to be the hub of downtown activity in the Western Belmont County community.
From food to drink and even live entertainment, the Barrel House offers something for everyone from mid-day clear through the late-evening hours.
In terms of food, the bistro-style eatery offers a number of tasty items on its menu, affordably priced, and varied enough to satisfy any palate.
“Our big seller is the Reuben with our waffle fries,” said co-owner Leah McClurg, who along with Scott Whitacre turned the former Eagles building into a family friendly bistro and house of music. “Our Italians are pretty good too. The mac & cheese bites are really good, and people really like the garlic cheese curds.”
Mondays is wing night at the Barrel House, and the popular wings come in three flavors, buffalo, honey BBQ, and parmesan garlic.
Soup, salad and chili are featured on the menu, along with a large selection of paninis and sandwiches.
The grill itself closes at 8 p.m., though the Barrel House remains open until nine on Sundays and Mondays, and 1 a.m. the rest of the week.
Food is still available after the kitchen closes, but the menu is more condensed.
“We still offer the fried foods, and soups, and chili afterward,” McClurg said.
Local Girl Comes Home
McClurg is a Barnesville native and actually took dance classes in the studio above the Barrel House that she also now owns.
Life’s adventures took her West to Phoenix, Ariz., where she lived for nearly 40 years. It’s there she also owned a dance studio, and there her children still live. She still owns a home there, but came back to her hometown around five years ago.
She bought the now DG Dance Shop from her former dance instructor, and then later, the building itself.
It was during her return trip when she reconnected with her old flame, Whitacre, from her high school days.
When the building purchase was finalized, McClurg knew they needed to do something with the vacant downstairs, so she thought, why not a bistro.
She wanted to keep it family friendly to broaden its appeal and, on a more personal level, give her students and their families a nearby option where to eat after classes so they weren’t left running through a fast food drive-thru yet again.
“That was our point from the beginning that we wanted to be family friendly,” McClurg said. “When we opened, we did not want it to be just another bar. I wanted something similar to say Applebee’s or BW3s, but with live music.
“I work with kids so much at the dance studio that I wanted them to be able to come down.”
Growing up in Barnesville, McClurg noted there used to be foue or five sit-down restaurants in the downtown area alone. Now? She noted it’s just the Barrel House, along with the China One on South Chestnut Street and Annie K’s further east of the downtown area on E. Main.
“When we bought the building, I told Scott we should open up something for the community.”
The Music Component
McClurg isn’t the only one with her own separate business. Whitacre’s Alpha Audio service is just up the road. He’s been a music instructor for decades, teaching guitar, drums, and other instruments.
Some of Whitacre’s students have taken the stage at the Barrel House already, whether as part of their own band, or some of his beginner students come in early on Open Mic Night Thursdays to get their first taste of being on stage.
They are in addition to some of the more established bands that have or will play on the Barrel House Stage — a stage area that Whitacre has already expanded once and is continually tweaking to make it more performer friendly.
“We’ve been expanding and renovating the stage,” Whitacre said. “We’re trying to figure out the best setup. I’ve been playing music for so many years, but the wireless technology that is out today—I originally wanted to set up a booth so that the sound engineer for any band could come in, but now, everything is done wirelessly, so I don’t think we need all that. So, we’re trying to figure out what will work best.”
Whitacre knows a thing or two about the local music scene and not just from his instructional background. He too plays, and during they heyday of the open mic and jam nights at the former Down on Main Street in Wheeling Whitacre was an integral part of that.
While Barnesville is a bit of travel distance from Wheeling, the Barrel House does have more overall room than Down on Main Street, and it’s his hope the musical offerings can expand, both locally and with regional acts as well.
“I’m hoping we can also pick up bands that are playing in Columbus and Pittsburgh and establish the Barrel House as a place they can play in between.”
Whitacre noted the music night turnouts have been decent, but he feels people are still somewhat reluctant to come out as society slowly emerges from the pandemic.
Currently, there’s no cover charge for music nights, but if popularity grows and the Barrel House becomes a more frequent venue for larger acts, that may be a small necessity, depending on who’s performing.
But after months of scarcity musicians are certainly itching to perform.
“We’ve had some players drive up from Moundsville, probably four or five times,” Whitacre said. “Good, working musicians that haven’t been able to do much because of COVID. It’s slowly coming back. I have faith, and that carries me through a lot.”
Those interested in playing at the Barrel House should contact Whitacre at (740) 619-0591.
Back on Their Feet
Leah and Scott opened the Barrel House during the fourth quarter of 2019. They just started making a name for themselves when the pandemic hit, grinding any momentum the eatery and music house had built to a near halt.
McClurg credits the local businesses ordering takeout for their employees as a big help in enabling the bistro to make it through the lean months.
But things are starting to turn around. The two are hands on to ensure it stays that way.
“We’re pretty involved and both usually here,” McClurg said. “I want to be present. I want people to know who we are and make sure they are comfortable in any situation.”
That means busy days for both, as they each have heir instructional careers but also find time to help run the bistro.
In a perfect world, on down the line, McClurg hopes to develop a strong staff and management team to the point where they can step back a little and enjoy the fruits of their labor. But for now, they are both in the trenches, greeting customers, helping in the kitchen and at the bar, and even making deliveries.
For more information, visit the Facebook page linked above or stop by at the 137 East Main St. location in town.
