By Brooke Parker
Staff Writer
CARRBORO – “We want to see Johnny’s exactly how it was – a great place for the community,†said Carrboro resident Maureen Berner. Berner, along with more than 50 community members, attended a potluck held Monday at Johnny’s to discuss ideas for an improved and reopened Johnny’s.
“I don’t know how we can solve it, but I hope we can,†she said.
Several potential business partners have made proposals to Halle. She hopes to reopen Johnny’s “bigger than it was, with the same community flavor.â€
Carrboro Greenspace members hosted the Monday potluck for the community to come together to share food and propose ideas – but the overriding sentiment was that most just want to see Johnny’s reopened.
“This place is about celebrating communities and creating centers,†said Greenspace member Michal Osterweil, who helped organize the event.
Community members brought homemade sandwiches, salads, pastas and more, and additional food was provided by local restaurants.
Friends and family enjoyed their meals, laughed and caught up. But when Callie Warner, a Chapel Hill resident and dedicated Johnny’s customer, took the stage to start collecting ideas, it was time to get serious. Community members stood around a chalkboard and one by one raised their hands to have their ideas noted. Even children participated, proposing, for example, a pool with a waterslide.
Others suggested improvements, including a food-truck commissary, an herbal garden, free wireless Internet and a children’s play area.
“The vision that Brian had for Johnny’s was great, but we will rise again and open again soon,†Halle said.
Halle expects to reopen a familiar but improved Johnny’s by September.