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New windows in the opera house and rear of the San Carlo Room were made possible by some smaller grants and privately donated funds, Potter said.

Potter has sunk $100,000 of her own into the venture, both improving the building and furnishing the Pour House. Improvements include installation of a gas fireplace, patio doors, stairway, kitchen and appliances.

"I didn't want to ever think, ‘I wish I would have done this or that,'" she said.

"It's not only an investment in the Pour House as a project, it's an investment in this community; it brings people to town" and promotes awareness of the San Carlo Room's availability as a rental space, she said. It also has renewed interest in the opera house, she said.

"I think they are dollars well spent," she said.

Potter, also a historical society member, said the community has been excited to see downtown revitalization. "It's great for the economy. The historical society needs to be commended," she said, noting it's the driving force pushing economic development.

"It's our goal to make the Warren Building the cultural corner of Friend -- a destination for visitors," Potter said.

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Since it opened in late May, the Pour House has drawn a mix of ages, from young adults to those in their upper 70s.

Potter recalls overhearing friends talk about both the "cool atmosphere" and that "you can hear each other talk."

"The Pour House has been incredibly well received. We have local people that are patronizing it. We have people coming through from out of state patronizing it. It appears to me it has been very successful for Carey," said Stutzman.

The Tasting Room features gourmet snacks and Nebraska vintners' wines, including wine from a vineyard Potter and her father, John Potter, own south of Dorchester. Craft brews and coffee also are available.

Potter's fiance, George Perlebach, a family practice physician, indulges his hobby of creating gourmet breads and other snacks for the patrons.

Today, the place that sold everything from nails to hammers is a magazine cover for ambiance.

Pairs of red leather chairs face each other over small tables dotted with small, red-shaded lamps. Wood floors, balconies and a long credenza of cubbyholes once used for nuts and bolts now showcase wine from five Nebraska wineries.

A big screen television, fireplace and comfortable sofa and chairs create a cozy nest for sports fans toward the rear. Tailgating fare -- barbecue, burgers and brats -- will be added for football parties, Potter said.

FRIEND - On a recent Friday evening, art teacher Greg Holdren and his wife, Maureen, pedaled to the Pour House Tasting Room on their bikes.

They ordered a pizza and a bottle of red wine.

As friends filed in, they joined the Holdrens on the soft, padded benches surrounding a triangular table.

Nearby, First National Bank of Friend employees Julie Ricenbew and Brook Paulsen chatted and sipped wine. They'd decided to take a break after work before household chores and children's needs engulfed them.

The Pour House is 2,700 square feet of space formerly occupied by Yokels Hardware store. It is in the 125-year-old Warren Building, which fills more than half of a city block. The Warren Building also houses the San Carlo Room, the Historic Opera House and space yet to be remodeled for another tenant on the west. Other space will be used for an elevator, a small museum and restrooms.

In spring 2009, the family of Wayne Yokel gave possession of most of the Warren Building to the Friend Historical Society. Not included is part of the east side, both upstairs and downstairs by the alley, which is owned by someone else, according to society president Mark Stutzman.

The society wasn't able to find another hardware store to replace Yokels.

When a town the size of Friend (pop. 1,174) loses a business like that, it's not much of a leap to imagine the whole block dying, Holdren said.

The society enlisted volunteers to renovate both the hardware store and an adjacent space where the Yokels had a furniture store. The task took a little more than a year.

The nearly renovated 3,000-square-foot San Carlo Room, formerly the furniture store, is already booking for dances, reunions, weddings and other events. It has access to the Pour House via double interior doors. A huge mural of Friend, circa 1915, painted by Holdren, decorates a brick wall.

While the opera house is getting some new windows this fall, "it is going to be awhile until we'll get that totally done," said Stutzman.

Marla Weber, historical society vice president, said the effort to restore the Warren Building has been a fun project -- and a meaningful way to give back to the community.

The Pour House is the brainchild of David City native Carey Potter, who has a master's degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. The names on her wines reflect her love of word play.

Potter also has 20 plus years of lobbying experience, including the past nine years with a national association of chain drug stores.

Her rent helps pay for building improvements.

The society also secured a low-interest loan through the Nebraska Energy Office. The nearly $72,000 loan paid for a new facade, doors and new heating and cooling system for both the Pour House and San Carlo Room, Potter said.

Hammers and nails replaced by wine and conversation at Friend's Pour House

By JOANIE CRADICK / For the Lincoln Journal Star | Monday, October 4, 2010