Written by Jeliel Brown
Videography by Sebastain Reece
Photographed by Chloee Blair
music
in suzette’s
courtyard
Written by Jeliel Brown
Videography by Sebastain Reece
Photographed by Chloee Blair
The heady sound of Buddy Crump’s electric guitar. The ladies of Annie Dukes rocking out. Joshua Worthy’s twangy vocals. All of ‘em pull people - almost too many for the tiny space - off St. George into Pierre’s Pub, a tucked away spot known for its music scene. Locals and tourists alike step into its courtyard, shaped by many generations of a single St. Augustine family.
The history of the land on which Pierre’s Pub operates reaches far back. The site was once home to the Suárez-McHenry House, constructed before 1788. Two centuries later, in 1965, Pierre Thompson and his business partner, John Bailey Sr., rebuilt the Suárez house near its original foundation as their contribution to St. Augustine’s 400th anniversary celebration.
Although the building was originally intended for commercial use, Pierre’s outgoing French mother, Suzette, who was irresistibly drawn to the bustle of St. George Street, had a different plan.
Buddy Crump, guitarist for Fortune Child
One day, Pierre had gone to check on the progress of the reconstruction when Suzette approached him.
“She told my dad, ‘I’m moving in!’” Paul Thompson, Pierre’s son and co-owner of the property, explains. In the 60s, most people in St. Augustine didn’t live directly on St. George Street. “It was quite unusual.”
People sometimes walked up to the property, mistakenly thinking it was a business. Instead, they always found Suzette ready to welcome them.
“People would randomly go through the gate and realize it was someone’s house,” Thompson said. “My grandmother…offered to have a glass of wine with them in her courtyard.”
This curiosity soon became familiarity. Thompson described his grandmother as “a true 1960s lady,” often dressed vibrantly in elegant attire and jewelry while effusing her natural social ease. St. Augustine was far smaller back then, and people knew one another well. His grandmother was a respected presence in the community.
“Everyone knew [her],” he said. “She wore dresses, wore her pearls and was always made up.”
After her death, the building continued to change. It became Mi Casa Café in the 1980s and remained so for 42 years. The family later replaced the café with an Auntie Anne’s before the pub concept fully solidified; but the pretzel shop didn’t quite pan out as hoped.
“We thought to start off with some coffeehouse music because we anticipated the lines to be long like the malls,” Thompson said. “People weren’t coming into Auntie Anne’s, but we noticed that whenever we updated the music, people started coming into the pub.” The business offered only six beers at the time, but patrons stayed for the tunes.
a minute with pierre’s son
Paul Thompson discusses how the pub began…
Julie Papili, drummer for Annie Dukes
In 2021, Thompson and his sister began to renovate the property once more into what it would become today. He and his family considered many names, including British-style pub monikers like “The Two-Headed Wolf.” Eventually, though, the family voted in favor of “Pierre’s Pub” to honor their father.
“While we were brainstorming, I came up with Pierre’s,” Thompson said. “Then, I rode by a place in town called Pelican Pub. I thought, we need to have the word ‘pub’ after it because nobody knows what a ‘Pierre’s’ is.”
Much of the renovation was concentrated on the interior and the courtyard. The outdoor section had sunk several inches over time, which posed a tripping hazard that Thompson addressed by leveling the ground while preserving the original bricks. He also placed plants along the balcony to echo the greenery his grandmother maintained in her time.
Thompson describes the courtyard as European-inspired, attributing its design to his grandmother’s French background. The space offers refreshments and shade during the day, while becoming a central music venue in the middle of downtown by night.
Thompson said Pierre’s Pub has long since earned itself a nickname: “the music hub.” Indeed, music is central to the building’s operations and extends back to the Mi Casa Café years. Thompson’s business partner, Bryan Almon, is largely responsible for the pub’s music and hosting events.
“Bryan has a passion for music,” Thompson said. “And he’s good at it.” Through Almon’s endeavors, the pub began to bring in local musicians, and now many performers seek out a spot at the pub. Pierre’s also hosts Open Jam Nights on Mondays, which serve as live entertainment as well as an informal audition for musicians to show what they can bring to Pierre’s Pub. The most well-received performers are invited to come back on other days.
The performances “range anywhere from jazz to bluegrass to country,” Thompson said. He says some artists describe the venue as “the amphitheater on St. George Street.”
Thompson’s family continues to shape the space, albeit in smaller ways. Last year, a cousin of his visited to help improve the stage lighting due to his experience in performing arts. Other relatives assist with the pub’s maintenance. Pierre’s Pub was never a one-man operation, and family remains an indelible part of its legacy. “It’s all about that family aspect,” Thompson said.
Joshua Worthy playing with Buddy Crump
Thompson says the business is “constantly pivoting,” with new changes introduced every few months. For instance, the pub recently gained a second-floor green room.
“We needed a place to chill,” Thompson said. “So, I created a green room with air conditioning and a green porch right over the street, with the coolest view in town.”
In spite of its location on the city’s busiest tourist corridor, the pub has a strong local following. Regulars come to expect particular musicians, and are welcome to bring their families and dogs.
“We have really captured a local niche that we weren’t expecting. Typically, locals don’t even come downtown due to parking and stuff, but they make the effort to come here.”
Pierre’s Pub remains casual and music-led while carrying the air of a very lived-in place. Before it was a pub or Mi Casa Café, and even before bands filled the courtyard, it was a house where a sweet French grandmother once greeted strangers who wandered up from the street.
When asked what he hopes people think when they enter, Thompson responded: “What a cool little place we found.” He added that if his grandfather or grandmother could see the establishment now, with people eating, drinking, gathering under trees and listening to live music, the vibe would feel familiar to them. “Nostalgic,” Thompson said.
Running the pub has been a surprise for Thompson. He didn’t imagine it would become his work at first. It began as a renovation that became a business, then a venue and, finally, a true third space for downtown.
“It was quite a ride,” Thompson recounted, saying he is grateful for what Pierre’s Pub has become through the years.
Pierre’s Pub embraces its history - the building and even the plot of land stand as a part of St. Augustine’s evolving soul, while the open gate to its courtyard welcomes everyone wandering down St. George to stop, listen and relax.
Check out Pierre’s Insta to see who’s playing this week.
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