Starr Hill's restaurant, brewery and music hall serves as a mecca to students looking for food and a good time in a casual atmosphere.
But despite its cosmopolitan flair, Starr Hill's history is as rooted in down-home Charlottesville traditions as the Foxfield races.
Nineteen eighty-seven marked the beginning of Starr Hill's history, when Bok and Paul Summers - grandsons of Nobel laureate William Faulkner - founded the Blue Ridge Brewing Company and restaurant.
Making a name for themselves right here in Charlottesville seemed the perfect way for Bok and Paul Summers to begin their careers.
"We were both born and raised in Charlottesville," Bok Summers said. Paul "wanted to come here to live, and we just sort of took the plunge."
In 1987, microbreweries were uncommon across the United States and were just becoming popular in the Northwest.
"We were the first [microbrewery] in Virginia," Bok Summers declared with pride.
But the Summers brothers didn't stop at providing food and beverages to the Charlottesville community. From the very beginning the Blue Ridge Brewing Company - which would later become Starr Hill - had music in its soul.
"We had a lot of live music ... My brother and I love the local scene," Bok Summers said. Local musical acts like Close the Door often frequented the place.
But in 1999, the Summers brothers put the brewery up for sale.
It caught the eye of John Spagnolo, who had always wanted to establish a restaurant and a music venue in Charlottesville.
"I wanted a place with better than average food in a casual atmosphere ... [where you could] see music in a small, intimate place," Spagnolo said. I wanted "a venue upstairs and restaurant downstairs. Music can cause problems for diners. I like the idea of separating the two."
When he realized Blue Ridge Brewing was up for sale, however, he realized he could further build upon his original idea. And the location on West Main Street was too convenient to pass up.
"Beer falls nicely into that," he said. "You have the business concept in your head, but each location has its own unique aspects."
In fall 1999, Spagnolo purchased the brewery and restaurant, and Starr Hill was born.
Spagnolo said his primary influences are West Coast restaurants that feature separate venues and eateries.
"I spent a few years in San Fransisco. I could go in wearing causal attire and get an outstanding meal," he said.
But Spagnolo realized he couldn't embark on this task alone.
Through a friend, he met Mark Thompson, who was thinking of establishing his own brew pub at that time.
"We had a lot of the same thoughts on the business," Spagnolo said. "We started thinking, 'well, we can do beer too,'" Spagnolo said.
"We've revitalized that neighborhood [near the Downtown Mall] ... We want Charlottesville to be a mecca of great beer" said Thompson, who is Starr Hill's master brewer.
Part of the process in making Starr Hill what it is today involved studying microbrewing extensively.
Thompson studied brewing techniques at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, which he says "was vital to my knowledge of how to make really good beer."
"We definitely did a lot of research on pubs and the microbrew industry, but it originally evolved out of the location search," which focused on establishing a venue and restaurant, Spagnolo said.
But Starr Hill could not escape the music scene that had made Blue Ridge Brewing Company so popular.
It seemed only natural that, in fall 2000, Starr Hill launched the music hall.
Both Spagnolo and Thompson envision the further expansion of Starr Hill.
Two weeks ago, Spagnolo introduced the Starr Hill brand beer at Whole Foods and Harris Teeter.
"I'm hoping [Starr Hill] becomes more attractive to U.Va. students," he said.
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