The pending relocation of The Barley Pub to a bigger, more prominent site is the latest development in Dover’s expanding nightlife.

To many patrons, The Barley Pub is the living room of downtown Dover. Whether they’re checking out a live bluegrass jam, attending a trivia night, shooting pool, playing board games, or just enjoying a pint of craft beer, the bar feels like home to its many loyal customers. Since Scott Mason opened the establishment at 328 Central Ave. in July of 2000, it has developed a solid reputation for its relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff, its support for local music, and its diverse selection of quality regional brews.

All that being said, when asked if he has mixed feelings about relocating the bar, Mason doesn’t have to think for very long. “No,” he says.

Sure, he may get a little sentimental when the current pub’s doors close for good on Nov. 18. But there’s no second guessing his decision to move across the street to 83 Washington St., the former location of RJ’s Bar and Grill. 

“It’s an awesome opportunity for us,” Mason said. “I think this is the best building in town. The space is exactly what we need.”

While he has heard some apprehension from regulars, Mason is confident they’ll come around once they learn about the move’s advantages.

“There’s a lot of skepticism and a little bit of anxiety amongst my employees and customers, but every time I talk to somebody, they kind of say, ‘OK, I get that, that’s cool,’” he said. “I think it was the unknown that was scaring them. But once I presented to them the model of what we’re going to try to accomplish, they were psyched about it.”

When the pub reopens at its new site in December, it will have a full menu, a full liquor program, twice as many tap lines, expanded hours, and much more space. And, sometime in 2014, Mason plans to open a brewery with its own line of Barley Pub beers.

But, despite all the changes, Mason intends to carry over the same approach that has made his bar a beloved staple of Dover’s evolving nightlife. Over the last 12 years, he has seen the city’s music and arts scene expand and mature, and he sees his pub adapting with it, remaining both geographically and culturally central to the entertainment community.

That community also now includes Cara Irish Pub on Fourth Street, which will hold a grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 26, featuring a performance by local Irish folk group the Spain Brothers. The pub, which opened its doors at the former location of the Station House Restaurant in August, offers full lunch and dinner menus serving traditional Irish fare. Co-owner Dawn Nelson, whose husband is from Ireland, said their business attempts to replicate the atmosphere of an authentic Irish pub.

Cara also has a pool table in the back and an elevated stage for its regular live music. The pub’s October schedule features the Tore Down Blues Band on Mondays, Revels Glen on Tuesdays, Tim McCoy and friends on Wednesdays, and the Tom Lanigan Band on Thursdays, plus traditional Irish “céilí” jams on Sundays.

Add these new stages to the popular music rooms at Dover Brick House on Orchard Street and Fury’s Publick House on Washington Street, and the Garrison City can easily compete with the long-time music hub of Portsmouth for its nightly live music offerings.

A gradual exodus of artists and musicians out of Portsmouth and into Dover has caused a tectonic shift in the Seacoast scene. While Portsmouth is still widely viewed as New Hampshire’s cultural leader, boasting a diverse array of fine-dining restaurants, stages and art galleries, the bulk of the region’s younger artists live, work, hang out and perform primarily in neighboring communities.

“Very few (local musicians) actually live in Portsmouth. Most of them live in either Dover or Newmarket,” said Dover resident Stu Dias, front man of rock band Gnarlemagne. “I think the cost of living in Portsmouth is prohibitive to a musician.”

Dover is actively trying to capitalize on its blossoming cultural identity. Molly Hodgson Smith, executive director of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, said she is aware of a few other bars and restaurants that are “eyeing” the city as a potential place to set up shop, although she said it’s premature to reveal who they are.

“Certainly, Dover seems to be a thriving area for arts and entertainment opportunities. We’re seeing some really nice growth,” Smith said.

In celebration of the area’s vibrant music community, Dias is helping to organize an upcoming festival called Seacoast Congress of Sound. It takes place at 18 Evans Road in Madbury on Saturday, Oct. 20, and will feature 16 local acts, many of them from Dover. Dias said it’s a chance for Seacoast musicians to mingle with fellow artists and promote a sense of camaraderie. The cover charge is $10, with proceeds going to 3S Artspace in Portsmouth.

Dias, who is roommates with Tan Vampires guitarist Nick Phaneuf, said Dover’s music scene has continually evolved since Gnarlemagne formed in 2006.

“I feel like it changes at a rapid pace. I think that, in general, it has stayed the same size, but there have been a ton of bands that just came and went,” he said. “There are a bunch of new bands that are now making the rounds.”

The final slate of shows at the current Barley Pub spot will feature several of the city’s mainstay bands, both past and present. On Nov. 7, The Amorphous Band will play a farewell gig at the venue. A week later, on Nov. 14, Gnarlemagne and Tan Vampires will share the bill. Then, on closing night, Jazzputin and Equal Time will perform.

Dias will help usher in new live music traditions at the relocated Barley Pub. He will be co-hosting, along with 1130ft Studios owner Chris Chase and local music writer Chris Hislop, a Wednesday night music series called Cultural Graffiti. The trio will present live bands and, on certain nights, play vinyl records and talk about music.

Other than that addition, the new pub space will have the same weekly music schedule as the current location. It will also retain its Monday trivia night with host Zach Foote, and the same jukebox, pool table and furniture as before.

“We’re going to take over as much as we can, physically and vibe-wise,” Mason said. “We’re taking over the furniture and stuff like that, but we’re also going to try to carry the vibe. We’re not going to change the way we treat people or approach things, and we’re going to try to make it a comfortable room again.”

That room will have ample space. While the area of the current pub is about 1,800 square feet, the new space encompasses 4,800 square feet. The room capacity will increase from 89 to 150 people, and the business will triple its staff levels to about 20 people.

The building, once a bank, is on the corner of Washington Street and Central Avenue, with a row of large windows overlooking the street. Mason looks forward to opening those windows on warm summer evenings and letting the sunlight flood in.

To the rear of the room is a spacious kitchen with a prep area and walk-in cooler. Mason has hired Dan Rean, executive chef of Radici Restaurant in Portsmouth, to serve as his head chef. They plan to offer a gastropub menu featuring house-made pizza and high-end meals, but without the pretension of a fine-dining restaurant. The bar will open at 11:30 a.m. seven days a week, offering lunch, dinner, and a late-night menu.

“We’re going to approach the food the way we approach beer. We’re geeks about it. We’re not aficionados. So, high quality products, food and beer, presented in kind of a lowbrow way, The Barley Pub way,” Mason said.

Unlike the current location, which only serves beer and wine, the new site will be fully stocked with hard liquor. Bar manager Russ Graham plans to introduce a number of classic cocktails from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, using original ingredients like bitters, fresh-squeezed juices, house-marinated cherries, simple syrup and more.

There will also be a greater variety of beers on tap, accommodating the growing number of craft breweries in the region. And, come 2014, The Barley Pub will have its own beers on draft. Mason plans to install a 20-barrel brewing system in a side room, enabling him to tap beers in the pub and distribute kegs and bottles to local stores.

As for the main bar area, Mason is aiming for a warm, communal atmosphere. The stage will be in a centralized location to the right of the entrance. There will be high-top tables on bamboo flooring, a pool table beneath a four-story vestibule, sit-down tables lining the windows, and a carpeted corner area with a fireplace and couches. Mason has dubbed that section “Lindsey’s Space,” after the late Lindsey Altshul, who was a regular patron.

There are those who worry that serving liquor and increasing the capacity will cause a rowdier crowd to infuse The Barley Pub’s historically laid-back clientele. Some locals still associate the space with RJ’s, which became a magnet for police activity.

But Mason has been encouraged by the positive feedback he’s received since he began renovating the building in August. Numerous community members have donated their time to help out, and strangers have approached him to offer their support. 

“A lot of people just walk up to me and say congratulations, and some of them aren’t even customers,” he said. “It’s cool that they perceive the value of the move for us.”

Meanwhile, the arts and culture scene continues to grow around the city. Over the last five years, a colony of artist studios has arisen at One Washington Center, Adelle’s Coffeehouse has established its Primal Tongue monthly prose reading night, Lucy’s Art Emporium is offering rotating art exhibits, Flyrock Records has released albums and sponsored live shows, theatre.unmasked is staging dramatic work, and Rivermill at Dover Landing is hosting concerts.

And more changes are on the way. Joe Simes, owner of the recently closed Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollinsford, said he hopes to open a new concert venue in Dover next year. And the ongoing Cochecho Waterfront Development project is expected to bring even more new businesses and restaurants downtown. 

Each new development helps ensure this community lives up to the nickname affectionately applied by local musicians: Dover Rock City.