But inside is where the divey action lives, just inside the white brick front door capped with musical notes and instruments outside. Walking into The Double Crown feels like bathing in a soft, red glow, a network of Christmas lights playing off a painted roof, giving off a very dive bar-style aura difficult to create any other way. The bar and its counter are, in a word, intense, a complete saturation of small lights, liquor bottles, stickers, random miscellany everywhere and even a stuffed snake. One of The Double Crown’s two small windows allows a little natural light here through its metal bars, though the red divey aura inside seems to consume daylight as it enters.
Along the top of the bar, a small ledge lower than the roof that houses a handful of photographs that are too random to properly describe. Stationary, swiveling, padded stools with backs serve as the counter seating options, a very diner counter vibe that complements everything going on visually inside. Taking a few steps away from the bar, it’s easy to appreciate the sure visual weight of this drinking magnet fixture in one corner of The Double Crown, and that is saying something given the dive bar beauty found elsewhere in the space.
Across the checkerboard tile floor from the bar is the DJ booth that provides a first clue about The Double Crown’s strong devotion to live music. The bar hosts rotating and diverse acts, a series of theme nights and one-offs packing an eclectic schedule. A glance at upcoming concerts may include gospel, Western and DJ sets punctuated with a rotating karaoke night for good measure. The community connection can also be seen in these live music events, some of them serving as fundraisers for local causes and even individuals on hard times. And it is in these types of details, down to the musical acts booked and where they proceeds go that sets a true community dive bar like The Double Crown apart.