
The Thirsty Beaver Saloon is an unassuming, one-story, brick, neighborhood dive bar that serves only canned and bottled beer, plays only old country music, and often screens the classic Western series 'Hee Haw' silently on loop.

The side of the building is adorned with a crudely painted cartoon beaver in a Stetson hat and cowboy boots, clutching a tipping pint glass, and there are usually a number of Harley Davidson motorcycles parked out front.

Despite its down-at-heel appearances, this bright orange watering hole, which two years ago was surrounded by open lots of land on two sides and some woodland towards the back, is a heart of the community establishment.

Now it is also the face of local community resistance against development and developers that sweep in and force change, thanks to the fact that it is surrounded on three sides by a new multi-story high-rise that will be the location of 323 new apartments when it opens at the end of 2017.

The Thirsty Beaver is a small dive bar in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina

The building, which was been owned by the same family for 70 years, refused to sell its land when developers bought the surrounding area from a local real estate giant for $8.5 million in 2015

The land surrounding the Beaver was owned by prominent real estate developer John Hatcher, who passed away six months ago. A small lot and some wooded area behind the bar existed in July 2015 where the apartments are now being built

The Beaver, with its simple signage and white-barred windows, is everything this sleek new development in the outskirts of Charlotte, NC, is not.

In 2015 the land surrounding the Thirsty Beaver was sold to a construction conglomerate Campus Works Development for $8.5million by local businessman and property owner John Hatcher.

But there had been one snag in the deal: the owner of the saloon, George Salem, an elderly man whose family has owned the property for generations, wouldn’t sell.

Offers were made, and rejected. Made and rejected again. Nevertheless, the construction company decided to press on. It was a scene reminiscent of part of the Disney Pixar movie Up! – an elderly property owner stubbornly refuses to sell up while his neighborhood is razed to the ground and homes are replaced with skyscrapers (minus the part where he ties 20,000 balloons to the property and lifts off with dreams of visiting South America).

At that stage, the Beaver had already been amid drama since 2008 when Charlotte natives Mark and Brian leased the property between Hawthorne and Central Avenues from their landlord to set up a honky-tonk bar.

In the face of mounting pressure, the brothers and their landlord decided that the value of the bar was far more than what money could buy.

Brian told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s never been about the money. Our main focus was trying to make sure that it doesn’t matter who you are when you come in here – we’re all going to be good to each other. It’s going to be an… island where everyone can just be.’

Mark Wilson, pictured bartending, owns the bar with his brother Brian. They decided to stand their ground because they felt the value of what the bar gave the community was more important than money

The apartment complex will eventually consist of 320 new units when construction is finished at the end of 2017. It stands in stark contrast to the down-to-heels vibe of the Thirsty Beaver, which has bras hanging from the rafters and barred windows

In 1948 the Thirsty Beaver was opened. Back then it was the Good Time Sports Bar. As the city changed, so too did the use of the building. It became a bakery for a time, then in the 1970s a hippie bar. But despite the change of use, it is believed to have the longest continuous liquor licence in Charlotte, says Brian’s brother Mark.

The land surrounding the Beaver was owned by prominent real estate developer John Hatcher, who passed away six months ago. His family owned the manufacturing company that once encompassed the entirety of the area before it was replaced by chain stores such as a CVS and Family Dollar.

The story begins with a rivalry - or what one regular customer describes in rather more straightforward terms as a ‘p***ing match’.

In 2008, Brian and Mark took on Mr Salem’s lease and create their vision of a honky-tonk haven. When the bar started to become popular, they felt that Mr Hatcher began demanding they give up their property, and their landlord sell the land which had been in his family for seven decades.

According to Brian: ‘Mr Hatcher was probably a billionaire – he had thousands of commercial properties. He was trying to point in Mr Salem’s face and say “you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna do that”.’

The increasing hostility between Mr Salem and Mr Hatcher led the latter in 2013 to construct metal fences around the boundary of his land – boxing in the Thirsty Beaver with just a few remaining feet around its borders.

It was a move that the Wilson brothers took as an effort to force them out.

Hatcher eventually constructed fences around his land, which boxed the Beaver in with just a few feet surrounding the metal gates. In 2015, he sold the land to the construction conglomerate, and building is seen in its infancy in February 2016

The Wilson brothers felt that Mr Hatcher was attempting to pressure them and their landlord to give up their space over the course of several years - the building is pictured here in November 2016

Throughout that time, Brian Wilson says that Hatcher continued to ‘steamroll’ him and his brother, and the elderly Mr Salem. Nevertheless, the power struggle forged a solidarity between the Wilson brothers and Mr Salem – who collectively decided that they would refuse to give up the space that meant so much to them.

‘The landlord here had a little sentimental attachment, plus didn’t like being pushed around, and we kind of felt the same way,’ Brian said. ‘We decided that if he didn’t sell, we wouldn’t go anywhere. Nobody would take anybody’s money and we’d just keep rolling.’

Brian says Mr Hatcher attempted to offer them other locations for the bar, but they remained firm in their decision.

‘He kept saying “It’s just business”,’ Brian continued. ‘And I said, “Yeah, it’s our business”.’

The power struggle forged a solidarity between the Wilson brothers and Mr Salem – who collectively decided that they would refuse to give up the space that meant so much to them

Mark Wilson, pictured behind the bar, said he and his brother bought the bar with no expectations. They've since gained an enormous amount of attention for standing their ground in the face of new development - but they credit their success to the neighborhood and the people who live there

When approached by the DailyMail.com, a representative for the late Mr Hatcher said that they had no comment on the deal.

In 2008, Brian and Mark took on Mr Salem’s lease and create their vision of a honky-tonk haven

Mr Salem was not available for a comment.

Brian surmises that Mr Hatcher had a deal with the construction conglomerate, CW Development, which was contingent on the removal of the Thirsty Beaver.

‘If you make everything about money in your life then you’re missing out on so much. We decided it wasn’t going to be about that but something else – whether that be building a community, a friendship with people,’ Brian said. ‘It’s so easy to make it about money all the time and I think it’s much harder to develop a bond with people. Giving that up was priceless. There was nothing they could say that was going to change the way we felt about it.’

The Wilsons and Mr Salem had also grown tired of seeing the fabric of their beloved city be overrun by skyscrapers and apartment complexes. The process is one all too familiar for many who have seen gentrification push out small business owners in favor of chain stores and high rises, they say.

‘The uniqueness of that area gets destroyed,’ Brian said. ‘It’s a constant theme – but you don’t get a whole lot of examples of fighting that with such a good picture behind it – that says: “Look – it doesn’t always have to be like that”.’

The sale went ahead and by 2015 CW Development, a company that primarily specializes in student housing on college campuses in the southeast, owned the land.

Its owners, landlord, and loyal patrons refused to budge - forcing CW Development to build around them on three sides

The Wilsons and Mr Salem had also grown tired of seeing the fabric of their beloved city be overrun by skyscrapers and apartment complexes. The process is one all too familiar for many who have seen gentrification push out small business owners in favor of chain stores and high rises, they say

The country comedy skit 'Hee Haw' plays in the background at the Thirsty Beaver, which prides itself on maintaining a homey feel for its guests, decorating the bar with many of their personal photos and belongings

The Wilsons wanted to create a space that felt like home to everyone, and say that all walks of life are present in their bar

It is unclear if the housing being constructed behind the Thirsty Beaver will be University housing. CampusWorks Development has not returned the DailyMail.com’s attempts for a comment about the project.

The Wilsons felt that if the development company adjusted their plan to accommodate retail space below the apartment complex, it would have been a suitable compromise for all parties

The increasing frustration was not only with the incoming development, but the fact that the builders were unwilling to provide any alternative for the small business owners that they were displacing. The Wilsons felt that if the development company adjusted their plan to accommodate retail space below the apartment complex, it would have been a suitable compromise for all parties.

‘If they had gone about it that way it would’ve been a dramatically different scene, everybody would’ve been totally behind it,’ Brian said. ‘‘They could’ve been heroes in the neighborhood. But to keep doing selfish growth without thinking of the people that live here or how it’s going to affect them some years down the line - that’s what it’s turned into a symbol of enough is enough.’

He says that at one point, some ‘higher-ups’ from CW Development came into the Thirsty Beaver to chat with the brothers about the situation. Though they characterized them as ‘nice guys,’ it seemed their intentions were more along the lines of intimidation than friendly conversation.

The Wilsons said that the men told them they had a sewer line that was draining onto the building site – and that they needed to do something about it. What they didn’t know was that Brian had already consulted city officials about the sewer line – who told him that it was the developers’ responsibility.

‘I’m sure they thing we’re a bunch of hick, honky-tonk people, like: “look at these dive bar ne’er-do-wells, they don’t understand anything,” but I already knew all these things before,’ Brian said.

The Wilsons said that the men told them they had a sewer line that was draining onto the building site – and that they needed to do something about it. What they didn’t know was that Brian had already consulted city officials about the sewer line – who told him that it was the developers’ responsibility

‘I’m sure they thing we’re a bunch of hick, honky-tonk people, like: “look at these dive bar ne’er-do-wells, they don’t understand anything,” but I already knew all these things before,’ Brian said. They pride themselves on their love for old country music, such as Merle Haggard, pictured on the bar

The Wilson brothers are far from this – they have several successful businesses across the Charlotte area, including a vintage clothing store and a new Tex-Mex restaurant. When the space became available at Mr Salem’s building, they knew it was the perfect spot for their next business venture: a simple country music bar.

Mark said: ‘We didn’t know where it would lead and what would happen, but fortunately it took, and that’s a lot of credit to the neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood.’

What ensued was not just a bar, but a community, a family, and a safe space. Although the Thirsty Beaver may look rough around the edges, what lies inside is a home for many – and a place the Wilsons have worked hard to make an open door to all. The dive has also made their philanthropic mark in the community by the sale of ‘Beaver calendars’ which featured ‘pin-up’ photographs of the Wilson brothers and their many beloved patrons. What began as a fun and silly endeavor allowed them to raise $22,000 for Be The Match, a blood marrow donation organization.

The 'Men of the Beaver' calendar, which features owners Brian and Mark Wilson (left and right), was one of their many philanthropic endeavors

What began as a fun and silly endeavor allowed them to raise $22,000 for Be The Match, a blood marrow donation organization

‘We’re pretty inclusive of pretty much everybody – in fact that’s been our motto,’ Brian said. ‘You come in, you’re going to be nice to everyone that’s here. And if you can’t do that - leave. ‘We’re going to have people from all walks of life in here. We’re going to have construction guys, gay guys – our Beaver calendar has a guy that does drag in it.'

Local Bob Campbell, who characterizes himself as a ‘charter member’ of the Beaver crew, takes the bar’s values to heart

Local Bob Campbell, who characterizes himself as a ‘charter member’ of the Beaver crew, takes the bar’s values to heart. On the Beaver calendar, he is one of the ‘Mr Julys’. His blurb on the calendar described him as: ‘a ladies’ man and a guys’ guy. He knows his way around a rump roast just as well as he does a motor, and is chock full of southern charm.’

Of the Thirsty Beaver, Mr Campbell said: ‘It’s kind of one of those joints where you leave your pretentions at the door. This has always been a strong tightly knit neighborhood and I’ve met some wonderful friends. In fact, some of my closest friendships have been forged through chance meetings at The Beaver. Even the mayor herself of our illustrious city and her husband come in here from time to time.’

Campbell is not just a regular at the bar, he’s part of its fabric.

Brain Wilson said: ‘It’s so cool that people feel it’s personal. Bob Campbell is a perfect example of that.

‘It’s his bar. He is proud of it, he takes care of it, he makes sure that people here feel comfortable and that nothing bad happens to anyone. Girls feel safe coming in by themselves and it’s a testament to the people in the neighborhood making sure that people aren’t being stupid,’ he continued.

With an influx of new neighbors on the way, their biggest fear now is that the security and safety that they revere will be shaken.

‘One of our biggest fears is that people won’t get it – that they won’t understand,’ Brian said.

The Beaver's choice to remain, however, seems to be just fine with Housing Studio, the architect company partnering with Campus Development for the new apartments.

The principal architect for the project, Chuck Travis, said: 'I think everyone is looking at it, the current developer of the property that we're working with and the owners of the bar is that, this is an opportunity that should bring notoriety to them and also makes our property a bit more unique. It's actually become an amenity to us.

He continued: It's a really nice thing for the neighborhood because I know a lot of folks have rallied behind it. I certainly don't dislike the idea of them remaining.

'I do wish we could've done it so that they could've been incorporated into our building, but having them there, we're just making the best of what we can from it, hopefully for them and for us.'

Given the extremely close proximity to so many new apartments, which will open at the end of the year, and the bar’s standing live jam sessions every Sunday evening, encroaching noise violation complaints are also a concern.

Whatever the outcome may be, the Thirsty Beaver is standing by its commitment to forging real connections.

‘Today I feel like people are increasingly distant from one another. Due to whatever it is – internet or economic segregation or however it is,’ Brian said.

‘Our idea was to put people back together, get people in front of each other. You find out – “wow – we’re all really similar in a lot of ways.” We’ve been lucky enough and so fortunate in this area that people have supported that.’

And for their supporters, of which there are more than 1,500 on the official Thirsty Beaver Fan Page, the Wilsons don’t think they should have any reason to be concerned.

In fact, they just signed a new lease – though they swore not to reveal how long it would last.

Brian concluded: ‘We’re going to be here a long time.’