Originally presented for Small Town USA, a course with Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. An outdoor exhibit and a narrated slideshow were presented in Hillsborough, NC, as part of their Last Fridays series of April 2015. Pictures were taken throughout the spring at The Whistle, Hillsborough’s latest bar and music venue.
The Whistle sits at the corner of South Nash Street as Hillsborough’s newest music venue.
But the story of its birth is a story of serendipity. Three years ago, Doug and Jamie met while playing golf at hole #4, Umstead Pines. Doug was playing behind Jamie and friends, but soon joined their game, and the two golf buddies would eventually become business partners.
Jamie had been a lawyer for 30 years in London. After retirement, he moved here to be with his wife, who owns a hair salon that provides wigs for cancer patients in China. Now, he is a real estate agent, investor of The Whistle, and comes in every morning to do bookkeeping.
Doug entered the restaurant industry at 14 and a half years old, as a dishwasher, and got his first bartender job at 21. He got married, and family life meant that he went into the corporate world. But 26 years later, he got back into bartending in Durham.
Doug built The Whistle by hand, with Jamie’s help, and now manages the day-to-day operations of the bar, from serving coffee to managing the sound system, as well as cleaning up at the end of each day.
He speaks with affection of the bar counter, which he built and finished himself with Sapele wood imported from Africa.
In Jamie’s words, West Hillsborough, where The Whistle stands today, is an area that could be compared to East London — historically a pretty rough area, but it has grown tremendously in recent years.
The bar itself is a humble set-up, with a small stage tucked in the corner up front. On the other side is a piano, which regular customers sometimes come in to play throughout the day.
The week begins with a lazy Sunday afternoon, where Doug usually brings in some home-made food for the regulars to enjoy as they hang out.
Every Tuesday night is open mic, where anyone can sign up to have their own ten minutes of fame on stage.
Most people bring their guitars and sing, but there are always a few who choose to do something else, such as reading poetry.
Fridays and Saturdays are live music nights, where local bands fill the house with all kinds of music.
Some people come to support the bands, some prefer the basketball games on TV, while others just come to enjoy solitude among the crowd.
On some nights, when the music is right, couples would spontaneously start to dance or waltz.
On other nights, it gets so crowded that there is barely space to move around. But people always manage to have a great time.
Opened just last August, The Whistle is still establishing itself — according to Doug, “two years to get situated” is what everyone says.
On some days, especially when it’s snowed in, the crowds are thin. And sometimes they even lose money because they pay the bands, but Doug says that they do it so as to build a routine, that people can count on there being music on these nights.
Already, The Whistle has strong following of regulars, who all told me that they like it for its “atmosphere.”
It’s a nice space to relax, they say, where the music is loud but not deafening, where you can have a great crowd and still have a conversation.
There are always familiar faces to be found, you can hear others chat and vent and complain and tell their stories.
It is a bar where parents feel comfortable bringing their kids to, a bar where there are always smiles to be found, a bar with real community and real fun.
