By Jon Show — The Alleyway, a new cocktail lounge from the owners of Harp & Crown, officially opens today in the space next door, bringing specialty cocktails, jazz and a 1920s-inspired atmosphere to the heart of Cornelius.

Mary and Pat Maiorino, owners of Harp & Crown, have spent the past 16 months transforming the space across the alley into a bar designed to feel dis-tinctly different from the area’s sports and live-music establishments.

“It’s about bringing us back to the older times,” Mary Maiorino said. The Alleyway by Harp & Crown will be open from 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Saturday when it launches, although Maiorino said the schedule could change. It will be open for private events on weekends.

The 75-seat concept centers on specialty cocktails rather than draft beer or sports. The bar will have about 20 signature drinks, a few incorporating a Celtic theme including the Dublin Express, Celtic Breeze and Fake Foolery. Maiorino said the bar is intended to be a place where people can talk and socialize without televisions dominating the room. There is one TV tucked into the end of the establishment.

“This is about more connection and that chill vibe,” she said.

Live music will also be part of the concept, with jazz planned primarily for weekends. The lounge will avoid the rock-band format in exchange for more background atmosphere.

“It’s not going to be the loud music,” she said. “We want our own flavor.”

The Alleyway will also introduce monthly themed parties. The first is planned for October and will have a Roaring ’20s theme, with a DJ, dancing and ticketed admission.

The room itself is designed to reinforce the concept. Maiorino painted the walls black to highlight exposed wood beams that were already in the build-ing and added a chandelier and other lighting. Candles throughout the room create an intimate atmosphere at night.

Maiorino also created one of the room’s more distinctive features: 1920s-style portraits of Harp & Crown regulars and friends. The couple used artificial intelligence to turn photographs of their customers and friends into period-style portraits, which now cover the walls.

Maiorino handled the decorating herself, drawing on a passion for design, and the name came from the atmosphere she wanted to create.

“It felt like a speakeasy to me,” Maiori-no said. “I definitely wanted it dark and moody, and I thought the Alleyway was a perfect match.”

The Alleyway grew out of an opportunity that emerged shortly after the Maiorinos purchased Harp & Crown, which had been operating for about a decade under previous owners and was sold to the couple in 2024. Shortly afterward, the space across the entryway became available, and the Maiorinos saw an opportunity to expand their business with a second concept.

“We just thought it was a really great opportunity,” Maiorino said. “The patios connect. Let’s just utilize this as a type of a cocktail lounge.”

The couple moved to Huntersville from Raleigh two years ago to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. Before entering the restaurant business, Mary was a nurse and Pat spent about 25 years working for Performance Foodservice, working with restaurant owners and kitchens.

Now, after more than a year of work, The Alleyway is opening its doors — giving the heart of Cornelius a new place to settle in, order a cocktail and stay awhile.