Lowery's Patch Hat

Sometime in the spring of 1990 on Clayton Street, above the Junkman’s Daughter’s Brother, Lowery’s Downtown was born. The tightly-run spot featured live entertainment, and drink specials galore (Nickel Night, and Free Pool!) pretty much every night of the week. And, hey, they had Disco Night on Saturdays, too! After several years of popularity, in 1997, the bar was named to Playboy’s Top 100 Bars in America. But not long after that, the bar was sold, renamed “Armadillo” and adopted a country rock format. Many long-time patrons switched to other spots. Local Athens band The Simpletons played pretty much every weekend for 8 years before the switch.