Beloved Carrboro dive bar Orange County Social Club marks a quarter century with anniversary celebrations honoring the people who gather there
By Brian Howe | Photography by Lindsay Metivier
As fancier bars come and go in a blur, there’s this feeling I never forget. It’s the copper bar top at the Orange County Social Club under my elbows, dimpled and shining like the sea near sunset.
I was there within months of its fall 2001 opening, which still puts me behind Kirk Ross, member No. 3. A musician and news reporter, Ross is one of the few people who touched the copper when it was smooth, before friends pounded it with ball-peen hammers. When the barstools arrived, he put his together and sat down.
“I’ve been at the end of the bar there ever since,” he says. “It gives me a good view of the door. I’ve learned to identify people coming in, backlit from the street, by their shape.”
When OCSC opened on Carrboro’s East Main Street, it was an indie-rock haven – an informal living room for Cat’s Cradle concerts held up the street. But time has tempered it into something broader: a landmark, a tradition, a timeless Gen X “Cheers” in a changing town.
“I was 29 then, so I didn’t really even understand what 25 adult years was,” says OCSC owner Tricia Mesigian, who opened the bar after working at Merge Records. “But my first vision was based on an English pub – a meeting place. And pubs in England aren’t fleeting. They stick around.”
Tricia is planning two events she’s calling “OCSCQC” to celebrate the bar’s 25th birthday that highlight the cornerstones of its legacy: the creativity and longevity of its clientele and staff.
The weekend of Sept. 26, the bar will host an informal salon-style gathering, with world-famous rockers and local-famous townies on equal footing. The performers “might be musicians, storytellers, comedians or public figures,” Tricia says. “We’re just going to celebrate OCSC’s customers.”
Meanwhile, Sept. 2–Oct. 4 (with an opening reception Sept. 11), Peel Gallery & Photo Lab will exhibit the copious art and music made by the bar’s staff. That includes encaustic painter Jamie McPhail, a bartender at OCSC from day one.
“Trish is a really great boss, and we always discuss things – decisions never come from the top down,” she says. “When we opened, there was a hole in the community for a place to hang out that wasn’t a music venue. Over the years, there’s been a lot more places, but it’s always been a more-the-merrier thing.”
People work at OCSC for a long time – 10 years, 20 years, more – which is part of the magic for customers, too. “I enjoy that people who moved or had kids can come back and probably see a bartender they remember,” Tricia says.
That intergenerational feeling flows both directions. “We have photos behind the bar of babies in OCSC onesies that say ‘See you in 21 years,’” Jamie says, “and now those kids are old enough to come in.”
What’s changed? The cigarette smoke inside is long gone. Beer, wine and highballs have been augmented with efficient, reasonably priced seasonal cocktails. And the elimination of membership requirements in 2022 has increased the college crowd. But “it doesn’t change the vibe,” Tricia says. “We are the vibe makers.”
The younger generation drinks differently, affirming that a good bar is a place to find others, not lose yourself. “We have a nonalcoholic menu now,” Jamie says. “A lot of young people will come in for one drink and just hang out for hours. Back when we opened, it was $1.50 PBR, as many as you could have.”
To Tricia’s chagrin, Pabst Blue Ribbon has crept up to $3. “I’ve had to endure it,” Kirk sighs. “But that’s the stuff you’ve got to do to support your neighborhood local.” Still, the old jukebox glows on the back wall, and the back patio hums with tables deep in conversation.
“I don’t want to sound hokey,” says Tricia. “But I always say this bar isn’t changing the world; we’re just serving the people who are changing the world. I feel proud to give people a living, and they might not feel like they’re as important as, you know, the doctors. But to me, they are.”
